Thank you for all the info! I'll be sure to take everything you said into account. Appreciate the reply
[2QUOTE=Big Uncle;4316293]You will need to take a hunter safety course to be allowed buy hunting license.
Maryland is not too bad about shotguns and hunting rifles. Buying a shotgun will require an instant background check. You will have to give a bit of thought about what birds you want to hunt and your budget. You can buy a nice serviceable pump Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 for under $400, a fine English double for about the price of a new Porsche 911, and many other choices in between. My first shotgun was a Remington 870 and it has never failed me.
Upland birds (grouse, woodcock, quail, etc.) can be taken cleanly with almost any gauge of shotgun using either lead or nontoxic shot (steel, tungsten, bismuth, etc.). Waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) are normally hunted with a 12 gauge that shoots nontoxic shot.[/QUOTE]