New to hunting

Well you will likely get a hundred different opinions on what rifle to get, but I would suggest a bolt gun in .270, 30-06, or .308.  Ammo is readily available and cheap (relatively speaking) and these are tried and true calibers.  I personally would be looking for something in either the Remington 700 or Winchester Model 70 lines.  If money is an issue, you can easily find a quality used gun in either line.

If you plan to spend any time in the special regs areas like 2B, bear in mind you can't use rifles in them.  It would be tough to beat a pump 12 gauge with two barrels for versatility, especially if you only want one gun to hunt both small game and deer with.  One barrel would be a cantilever rifled barrel for your deer hunting and the second would be a vent rib with interchangeable chokes for small game and turkey.     

You did mention "rifle". If it's SR you are hunting consider a muzzleloader for deer. I prefer one over a shotgun but thats me.

  A 7mm-08 in bolt action is a sweet Whitetail rifle. Still my fav. among all my rifles present & past.

I was in the same boat last year.   36 years old and was my first year of hunting.   I took it up for some additional activities, and my girlfriend and her family are big time hunters (deer and birds mostly).  So, I had some support and learned a lot.  Of course, I also took the safety course.   I only got to do the deer hunting, and I really enjoyed it.  Shotguns with dogs is a little too much action for me...
My advice to you if you have a support group of hunters, try as many calibers as you can.  Join a sportsman club like Clairton (if you are from pleasant hills) and put rounds downrange.   I hunted last year with a older borrowed Remington 700, 6 mm or like a .243.   It had very light recoil and helped me work on my shooting. 
Last month, I did buy my first rifle.   I purchased an older weatherby 25-06, and haven't gotten to put any rounds through it yet.  I just got it scoped and I need to get to the range and sight her in.