bring enough gun
The old adage of "enough gun" I think applies especially to wandering about in the woods alone. The 9mm cartridge is well thought of (again) these days as sufficient for SD. However, my thought is that the micro 9mm pistols (or any micro auto) are hard to shoot well, and have insufficient mag capacity for multiple threats, be it two legged or four. Certainly better than a sharp stick, but....... Were I to stick to the 9mm as a woods cartridge, a full size auto would be my choice, something down the lines of the G17, or a G34.
I got away from toting large magnum revolvers in the woods because they were just to clunky if one was walking very far, or carrying much other gear at the same time. I occasionally carry a long barreled .22 mag revolver afield for sentimental reasons, but never feel especially well armed with it. And though revolvers have a long history afield, 6 rds just seemed not enough these days with other options.
My answer to a woods handgun nowadays is a big bore Glock, either a G20/10mm, or a G21/.45. If size is a real issue, one could downsize to their "mid size" models The flat profile is easy to tote, and Glock reliability speaks for itself. Lots of beans on board. The 10mm cartridge is seeing a resurgence, but .45acp is still more common I believe, and for some reason, I see used G21/.45's cropping up in shops on a regular basis, some priced reasonably.
Either would serve well for Beasts of all kinds.