A woods gun to some could be a 22 rimfire pistol or rifle. To others it could be a 410 shotgun. Still others a 44 Magnum carbine or rifle might be right. A woods gun can be many different things to many different people. Not knowing your woods activities or the possible threats you may face it would be difficult to beat a 4 to 6 inch barrel 357 Magnum. My personal recommendation would be a S&W 686-1 or -2 with a 4 or 6 inch barrel. They can use 38 Special ammo and magnum ammo very effectively. They can defend you against nearly anything from snakes up to some small bears. They will do very well when defending against 2 legged threats. They do so well against 2 legged threats that I carried one for nearly 6 years as an armed security officer. Are there other guns that can do just as well? Of course there are. That is the best part of today's gun world, there are so many options experimenting with many choices can be quite enjoyable.