I will second Bo. Get the Mossberg 500 with Ambidextrous safety.

I 2nd the Mossberg 835.

Illegal in Mt.

jodipuma - The best thing you can do right now out of season is get out and do some scouting. Watch what the deer are doing, find some good game trails, find where they are shedding antlers.

Mossberg 835 would be an awesome choice. It will cover all your bases, by shooting up to 3.5 mag.

I would have to agree with the Captain.

You will get as many different answers as there are dog breeds. As Brian stated, you need to take alot of different factors into account before picking the "best" bird dog. I favor my German Wire-Haired Griffons for several reasons. I hunt alot more upland game birds than I do waterfowl. I also live and hunt where the weather can become extremely cold, the Griffons have a great under coat for warmth. Griffons also make exceptional family pets. But, Griffons have their draw backs as well. Check out this link. http://www.griffonpoint.com/

I think Crossbows definitely have their place. I can see a big use for them in game management units where long rifles aren't allowed.

If I am hunting from a ground blind and expect to use the location again, I will take a garbage bag along and put the guts in there and make an extra trip back to the truck with the guts. I just think the less of an impact one can make the better. That gut pile will also bring in scavengers & predators that will upset the deer.

I shine a flashlight down the barrel to a target taped to the wall so that the light is on the bullseye of the target. Then, adjust your crosshairs so they are good with the target. This gets you pretty close for when you get to the range.