New here, from the nashville/ Bloomington area

Welcome to the group. You're in a prime area to access lots of public hunting opportunities of all kinds. I've hunted often down in the Hoosier National Forest, including several camping/hunting trips in the Deam Wilderness and some adjoining properties. Had some wonderful times there, many of them involving a canoe. Don't know if you're into them, but they can open up even more access to areas that are difficult to reach without some sort of watercraft, and are a good deal of fun for father/son experiences, and my wife even had a great time joining us on some paddling and camping trips in that area during the quieter times before deer season.

Regarding hunting tools, I'm primarily a bowhunter. Got hooked on that particular vice 56 years ago, and still can't kick the habit 8^). Have enjoyed many western trips, another habit that's tough to give up.

The options are endless for buying, of course, but if you're in the somewhat limited budget range that most of us are when the families are young, probably the best things to look for in gear are quality and versatility. My best shotgun was a Mossberg pump, and probably would be again today if I were starting out. A 12 gauge pump is good for just about everything, and the Mossbergs are dependable and economical. With a couple of barrel choices and a few screw in chokes, you're good to go for anything from trap and skeet to deer and turkey. Won't be the prettiest or most awesome gun in the field or at the range, but it will likely perform as well as the ones that are more noticed, and keep on doing so long enough for the boy to shoot also when he's big enough to handle one, usually without any expensive visits to a gunsmith. I had a few single-shot shotguns before I got the pump, and they killed game and broke clay birds, too, but I always wanted a pump when I carried them, and that itch was satisfied when I got the Mossberg.

In the rifle area, I have shot a couple which I liked even better, but are no longer available, but my favorite among the several that I've owned and hunted with is still my little Marlin lever gun. It's going on 50 years old and the company has since been sold and I've heard their quality may have slipped somewhat, but I still like the feel of that reliable little lever gun in squirrel season. Starting over today, I'd probably go with a Ruger 1022. I have one of those in the target version, the 1022T, also, and it's a real tackdriver, especially with subsonic rounds, but it's too heavy to carry around all morning looking for movement in the treetops. Fun to poke holes in paper with, though. The regular 1022 uses the same action and a much more useful stock and barrel, and is capable of very nearly the same accuracy in an extremely reliable and useful package.

Using the same standards in choosing a muzzle loading rifle, I'd say the CVA collection would probably be a real good place to start. Easy to get acquainted with the use of a ML with their equipment, easy on the budget but reliable and accurate. I began with some other brands and had a lot of fun and some frustration learning a lot of stuff the hard way, but ended up being very happy with a used CVA and shooting Powerbelts, which kinda seems like going back to training wheels in a way, but is hard to beat for a practical solution, whether you start there or experiment with every other option and come to the easiest one last.

Your personal tastes may lead you more towards other options, and that's fine. The above are just suggestions based on my use and experiences, and your results may very well vary.

Main thing is to have fun and learn more about nature. Enjoying many adventures with your son will be the best trophy you'll take away from it, for both of you. Good luck and enjoy!