do I go with the more standard 3-9x, figuring I’ll keep it at the low end for this but might be grateful for the added reach some day later?
This has worked fine for me. I keep my scope on 4x.
One tip: spend some time practicing shouldering your rifle, looking through the scope, and seeing the target. Many a deer has escaped because a hunter didn't know how to do this and found themselves waving the rifle around trying to find the deer in the field of view. Obviously do your practice keeping the gun in a safe direction and unloaded.