Stanton,

You mentioned that you needed to buy a "doe grunt"...I think you're referring to a specific estrous doe bleat replicated in products such as "The Can". 

Climbing stands are great (I own one), but I'd suggest you get totally familiar with it before you ever take it into the field.  Practice climbing, getting situated in the tree, and coming down in your back yard or some place where you can work up gradually.  Also, with their tubular steel construction most of these things have a tendency to be noisy, at least in my experience (I've had mine for a number of years so maybe the newer ones aren't so bad).  With the one I had we eventually had to use some spray insulation inside the climbing aid to quiet it down.  Whatever you do though, wear a climbing belt or harness every time you go up.  A friend of mine was on a climbing stand several years ago and fell asleep.  When he did he also fell out of his stand, and because he wasn't wearing a harness fell to his death.  He broke his neck when he landed on his head and it killed him instantly. 

And, most folks will tell you to get at least 20 feet up in a tree to avoid being seen, although there are some bucks that have learned to look up into trees.  Hope this helps.

I can't buy the economics...to me wind energy is another case of bait-and-switch.  It only appears profitable because its subsidized by the feds.  Ultimately its the taxpayer that pays these bills less a government 'pass-through fee', which ain't cheap and getting more expensive every day.  Is that truly economic?  And like someone else said, when these subsidies are gone what's going to happen then?  The vast majority of wind-related jobs will vanish.  

I'm all for technology development, but if it can't stand on its own after a reasonable amount of time and support (and how long have wind turbines been around?) then its not worth having, regardless of the zero-emissions dream it supposedly fulfills.  Wind is not the only energy technology that has this problem - ethanol is another.  And with ethanol, look how the grain and feed prices have risen.

It appears to me we're being led down a primrose path of energy dependency by folks who ultimately don't care whether the end results bankrupts this country or not. 

First, welcome to the site.  There are a number of folks here that will try to help you in any way they can so feel free to talk about anything you might need to get started. 

If you want to meet some hunters try to frequent a gun shop, shooting range, or someplace where they congregate and start asking questions.  At most places I've gone there will be a number of folks very willing to share their experiences, and over the years I've really learned a lot from essentially complete strangers.

You're on the right track about equipment too - its paramount.  While many people shoot a .243 I'd strongly recommend something heavier if and when you buy.  There are a number of choices (.270, 7mm Rem Mag, .30-06, .308, are a few), but a .25-06 Remington is a minimum in my opinion.  That .303 you have sinks like a rock after 100 yards (my first deer rifle was a .303 Enfield) and can't tell you much about your Mauser.  Depending on where you hunt they could work for the short term, but understand you'd have to learn how those rifles behave and likely limit your range.  Also, when you get your rifle there are some things to consider for purchasing ammunition, gun cleaning, and breaking-in the barrel.

Here is a link to a by-the-numbers method on how to field dress a deer.  There are also some you tube videos on the subject out there.

Hope this helps.

Texas is pretty diverse in its habitat and there are a lot of variables that dictate body size. It can depend on where you hunt in Texas, the age of the deer, genetics, deer density, the availability of food that year, and the degree to which food is supplemented by the landowner/manager...up in the NTX area (Shackleford Co.) you can see free range deer drress out easily in the 150-170 lb range.  WTX can get up to 150-160 lbs, and of course STX can get over 200 lbs. 

I would strongly recommend the best scope you can afford.  Leupold are very good scopes, and they're probably one of the better values on the market, especially if you get their lifetime warranty.  One of the best places to buy a scope is SWFA.  They usually have very good prices. 

You made a great choice of gun and caliber - Remingtons, based on my experience, are one of the most accurate out-of-the-box rifles made.  And, pound-for-pound the 7mm Rem Mag is one of the best all around cartridges.  There will be people that will argue the point but it has an edge on the .30-06 in that its much flatter shooting, and an edge on the .270 in that is somewhat flatter shooting plus you can shoot up to 150 gr bullets with very respectable downrange performance (you can handload 175 gr). 

I have a 3.5x10 40mm VXIII on my 7mm Remington Mag Sendero and wouldn't trade for either.  BTW, whatever you buy don't get fooled into thinking you need the larger objective lens for low light conditions.  If you buy a 3x9 40mm scope the exit pupil for the scope will be 40/9 = 4.4mm.  The pupil of your eye can dilate up to 7mm in total darkness (if you're young), but at the end of shooting hours its likely 4-5mm.  If so, then you're potentially wasting money when buying a scope with a 50mm (50/9 = 5.4) objective that your eye won't need.  At higher magnifications the need for a larger objective becomes more obvious.