welcome,
great place to get started,
lived in burlington for a year, didnt hunt VT, was a ski bum at the time,
i also started hunting late, and basically on my own,
my advise would be to keep it simple,
till you get your certification/license, can still get out there learning the woods in a different way than just hiking it.
as for gear, dont need all that much,
clothes , you probably have most of what you need in your closet,
the longer you spend in the woods, and deeper you go, then you can decide what additional gear you want for such trips