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I might try duck as well. I make a killer duck confit. Again, this is mostly about meat. I am going to live right on the bayou. Will be able to fish for catfish in the backyard. Want to start actually providing my own meat. I want to start with deer, but duck hunting would be great as well.

The Outdoor Channel had a woodland duck hunt show last night. They set up in a cypress swamp, called to the ducks who then came in close and got dropped within 20-30 yards of the set up. In one set, a group of ducks landed about 30 yards out. The guys shouted, the ducks flew, and never made it more than 10' off the ground.

For duck, you will of course need a shotgun. You can find lots of good ones, but even in the less expensive arena, the Remington 870, Mossberg 500, and Winchester (1500?) are all good. Remington is the lightest I think, but probably also the most expensive. I've got a Browning BPS which is a bit pricer, but not so very much, after years, decades really, with a J.C. Higgens(Sears "house brand", yes they really did not only sell guns, through a mail order catalog no less, but also had their own brand of both guns and ammunition so Did M. Wards, and at least Sears was not limited to shotguns and .22s, they had handguns in that catalog as well IIRC) , which my Dad bought me for Christmas just after I turned 15. His J.C. Higgens is much older. Mine was really a Hi Standard, and I think his was too, although a different model. Whatever you get, don't get one with a fixed barrel, as my JCH was. You'll want to move on to dove and quail, not to mention clay target shooting, and one barrel, even with interchangeable chokes (screw in, you want those too, and they don't add much to the cost) just doesn't hack if for all the different types of wing shooting, although you can "make do" with a 26 or 28 inch barrel for all the sports. For that matter you could get a rifled barrel and use it for those deer, with slugs. (or a cylinder choked barrel for use with rifled slugs)