Sportaddit68,
Glad to hear you're going to start hunting. The hunting world needs more conscientious hunters I'm going to kinda approach your problem from a backwards approach, but I thin it's reasonable.

Deer hunting season is almost over for this year; by the time you pick your gun, buy the gun and get it set up, I doubt you'll get to hunt w/ it this year. Consequently, if you don't already have one, I'd suggest you get a nice rifle in 22LR to learn basic gun handling and shooting. There are a bunch to choose from, but the Ruger 10 /22 is hard to beat. If you want a bolt action 22LR to learn w/, the Ruger 77/22, Savage and CZ are also good. Buy the 22LR now and you'll have plenty of time to learn how to shoot well (as long as you can find the ammo.

) You should still have time to buy a deer rifle in time for next fall.

If you already have a 22LR or want to go straight to a deer rifle, I'd suggest one of the following bolt actions: Ruger American, Savage, Remington Model 700 or Browning; I don't have a Tikka, but I've read good reviews and they have a strong following on the OB; I've got a Marlin that I've been very pleased w/, but not everyone's had the same experience. As far as what caliber, I'd suggest one of the following: 25-06, 260 Rem, 270 Win, 7-08, 280 Rem, 308 Win or 30-06. Nothing wrong w/ a lever for deer hunting inside 150-200 yards, but in short time you'll want to have the capability to hunt at longer distances; go ahead and buy the bolt action now. Keep in mind the availability of ammo at your local stores. If you're recoil sensitive, shoot some managed recoil loads in your deer rifle before you start using full power loads. You don't need a magnum, short, long, ultra____, or whatever. Go to some stores and handle different guns to find which one(s) handle the best for YOU. Buy a decent scope in the 3-9X range. You don't need to spend $600 on the scope. Use a one piece Weaver base and Burris Signature Z rings (the ones w/ the plastic inserts) to attach the scope. Try different types of ammo before settling on which one to hunt w/,

Good luck and keep us informed.