I am looking for ideas for a scope for a ruger 96/22 lr, I am going to mainly use it for target, a little ground hog control, and a little small game.

Check out Mueller optics. I have the 4.5-14APV AO, it's a great rimfire scope. Check out rimfire central and do a search for Mueller.

http://muelleroptics.com/

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/