Most of the people I have hunted with over the years used either double barrel or pump action shotguns.  Everybody has their own preference.

Buy a shotgun that fits you. You will be using this gun for survival.  That means protecting yourself or your loved ones from those that will try to take what you have for surviving.  Once we get into the situation of trying to survive in this country that will probably mean that it has hit the fan.  It will mean that you are either on your own or with a group of like minded people.  It will mean that there will be roving gangs that won’t bother to hunt or forage for food.  These gangs will be what they are and have been, animals themselves.  All they ever did was steal for a living anyhow.  Do you really think they will change when it will be easier for them to take what you or others have?

I never hunted for the sport, although many will tell you that is their reason for hunting.  I hunted for food to eat.  I never shot any animal I didn’t intend to eat, except for what are called varmints. Varmints are those nuisance animals that cause problems for farmers and livestock owners. Coyotes and some other animals that are considered varmints like to eat chickens and other small animals you have.  Raccoons are a varmint in my book.  They will eat your sweet corn when it is ready to be picked.  I had a family of Raccoons destroy my whole corn crop in my small garden one time.  How did I know it was Raccoons you ask?  By the tracks of the animals, which is something else you will need to learn. 

What do you do after you have shot an animal?  You have to field dress the animal until you get it back to your camp or where ever you are staying.  Again there are websites and books available that will explain what this is all about.  What field dressing means is the removal of the innards of the animal.  There are some things that are edible inside an animal such as: the heart, liver and kidneys. When properly prepared these are good and are good for you.  The rest of the innards have to be removed and discarded.  If you are in the middle of the woods somewhere you can just leave them lay.  There are wild things out there that will eat the entrails and whatever else you leave. 

As soon as possible, get the carcass back to where you are staying.  You will need to skin the animal and hang it to cool.  I recommend washing the inside to remove excess blood and in general clean it out.

Depending on what time of the year it is will depend on how fast you have to process the animal.  In the summer or when it gets warm it will mean getting it saved faster so you have meat for the future. In the winter, or when the temperature is around 45 degrees or colder, you will be able take more time processing the meat.

Here is a list of websites for processing meat.  Remember, you are in the middle of nowhere with no refrigerator or freezer.  You have just shot a deer weighing about 120 lbs.  You may get about 60 lbs of meat from this animal or more, and you can not eat that much at one sitting unless you are in a large community of people.  Even at that you may not consume all of the deer and will want to save some for the future.  These sites list different ways for preserving meat.

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing

http://sugarmountainhome.com/livestock/curingmeat.html

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2055/ANSI-3994web.pdf

Of these three sites I think the last one is the best, especially for smoking meat. It gives some details on temperatures and times necessary for the proper curing. 

Here are some websites on how to build and use small smokehouses for curing meat: 

http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/smokehs.htm

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-build-smoker

http://www.endtimesreport.com/smokehouse.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/853223/
how_to_build_a_small_smokehouse_for.html?cat=6

http://www.diy-guides.com/building-a-smoke-house/

http://www.smoking-meat.com/smokehouse-plans.html

Believe me, there are a lot of websites about making your own smoker.  Of course, there are small and large ones you can buy made from metal.  You shouldn’t be worried about an electric smoker.  There will be no electricity in the middle of nowhere when you are trying to survive.  If you can come up with something portable that will work, then that is what you should do.  If you do, then let all interested parties know how to make one, including me. 

If you get hungry enough you will learn to kill to eat.  This is not a statement meant to scare you, even though it should.  This is a statement of fact.  It should scare you because as I wrote before, if it gets to this point and it’s about survival, then it has already hit the fan!! 

Research the web while you can on everything you need to survive. Buy or make what you will need according to your circumstances.

There are a lot of Survival Books available that can tell you about almost anything for survival.  Remember, you also will need to know about what plants you can eat or use for cooking.  Buy books for this also that have color photos and get with someone that knows what is edible in your area.  Ask them if they will teach you what you can eat. There are many greens and roots out in the wild you can eat and there are those that will kill you or make you sick and/or cause damage to your system that will be permanent.  It always helps if you have someone with the knowledge who is willing to pass that knowledge on to you. 

Good Luck!!