I always carry my Taurus .44 Mag Revolver no matter what Im doing in the woods, walking, hunting, trimming trails, cutting down trees, etc. I never used to have to worry about a side arm untill thelast few years when the bear population sky rocketed in my area incentral Wi. Iuse custom loaded rounds set to the maximum allowed through a .44 mag for self defense against bears. And useCopper Cowboys for plinking and just plain out fun shooting.