Normally the people who live there take a .22 rifle as a survival gun.The main reason is because the shells are so light. You can carry an awful lot of .22 caliber shells in a pocket.

Pistols are not allowed for hunting in Canada and even if they were allowed they are so much less effective than a rifle that no one would take them into the woods with them. They are just dead weight.

Shotguns are usually not counted as a survival gun because of the weight of the shells too.

Survival strategy usually focuses on smaller animals and involves techniques which we would consider poaching.