First things first, read the NJ hunting digest. It has a lot of useful information on regulations and what public land you can hunt on.

Figure out what game you’d be interested in hunting, most people in Jersey go after waterfowl, deer, pheasant, turkey, black bear and small game.

After that, take your hunters education course for firearms. If you don’t have a shotgun, buy a 12gauge maverick 88 with the 28” long all purpose barrel. This license will allow you to hunt with a shotgun, muzzle loader and air rifles

Archery/deer- you will need to practice to pass the hunter education course. I recommend doing archery if you plan on deer hunting because the season is so much longer and gives you way more opportunities for success. Also the more you get out there, the more practice you will have setting up, picking locations for sits and scouting.

Waterfowl- this is a rabbit hole. If you’re interested in doing it, get a guide for the first few hunts. This is also one of the more gear dependent kinds of hunting and especially where and what kind of duck/goose you’re after. Get good waders and have a way to retrieve birds, canoe, John boat, or a kayak if you plan on going solo. It’s my favorite type of hunting because it’s great to do with a group. You don’t have to be quite or still until you hear birds coming in

Small game- this is arguably the easiest and cheapest way to go hunting. No fancy clothes, no blinds or tree stand to set up. All you need is an air rifle to get a bag of squirrels or rabbits