Congratulations. The Marlin 35 is a pretty good mid-range shooter. My advice would be to mount a quality low zoom scope, load it up with 200 grain bullets, and keep your shots within 150 yards (200 if you're a good shot!). Hit where you aim & the 35 will put down whitetails and blackbear pretty well. If you reload, you can concoct some relatively hot loads from the gun.