I see you are from New York. So am I. Due to our handgun laws, you probably do not have much experience with handguns. I was in your shoes a year ago, just recieving ny permit one year ago. I have hunted for 25 years, but had very little pistol experience.
The first thing you have to do is shoot, Get yourself any .22 handgun that you like, and several bricks of ammo. Shoot, shoot, and shoot!. As you get comfortable with the gun, consider a .357 magnum, especially if you don't reload. The abilty to shoot anything from .38 wadcutters to full house .357 loads will be useful for you. If you do reload, then you can consider a .44 magnum and load it to .44 special levels for extended practice sessions. The .44 will be a better caliber for deer hunting, but a .357 that you shoot well is better than a pistol that you have not mastered because it is too expensive to shoot or the recoil bothers you.
I was in no way ready to use my handgun on deer last year. After 1500 rounds of .22 and 2,000 rounds through my S&W 686, I can hit a paper plate 6 out of 6 times at 50 yards, with full power .357 handloadsDespitesome folk's claims on the Internet, I have had experienced handgunners tell me that'sgood shooting thatthe average handgun ownercan't do.I can't wait for this season!
Will