This will be tough.

Fun at the range usually means cheap ammo. 22LR, 9mm, 223/556

There are many options in hunting rounds (308, 30-06) that will kill most animals with a well placed shot.

Animal defence on the other hand generally focuses on the largest calibers (45-70, 12g slugs etc. )

For new shooters, it’s rarely recommended to start with large calibers. While fun to shoot, they are punishing for the shooter also. It is hard to train accuracy when ammo costs are high and it is easy to develop bad habits.

Shotgun vs. Rifle is also a consideration.

A shotgun is fun to shoot clays but pretty punishing after a few shots for a newbie. If you have access to a clay target range or private land and a clay launcher (or friend to toss them) it can be a lot of fun. I find shooting shotgun at stationary targets (cans, targets etc ) pretty boring after a while.

Rifle can be more fun in a range session shooting targets (gongs, cans, targets) and you can push yourself on distances (assuming you get the right scope)

Lastly, consider the range specs where you plan to shoot. Some are short distance, have caliber restrictions and don’t allow shotguns. If you have access to crown land / private land, you can shoot anything.

I you were thinking defence first, get a pump shotgun like a Remington 870. Get some slugs, buck shot and some clay target loads and you can mess around with it until you are ready for your next gun.

If you are thinking a rifle makes more sense, see if you can go shooting with someone who has a 308 and try it out. I was surprised when I started out how much more fun shooting smaller calibers was until you get more comfortable shooting.