When I go in the woods and hills here in Idaho -- I mean AWAY from town -- I'll sometimes carry a pistol. Not, as you may think, to 'protect myself' from animals (a .22 isn't exactly a big game gun!) but for signaling if I get lost or to shoot into the ground to frighten a bear or moose or whatever away. My family's philosophy has ALWAYS been that if you kill it you should eat it and I no longer hunt for food (the only reason to hunt). Granted, I could do as well with blanks or even a very shrill whistle (which I also carry), but there are also two legged slime 'in them thar hills' and they need intimidating sometimes...pity, that.