In all seriousness, the Marlin is a great rifle, too. I own a Model 60, one of the best rifles ever made.
Brownings are nice, but in terms of quality AND accuarcy AND ruggedness, it's hard to beat the Marlin.
California sucks that's it.
Pretty cool! Any time spent watching the critters will be worth it. You can learn their habits and different things that they do and react to.