I know this is old, but,
I wouldn’t RECOMMEND bringing a sidearm,
BRING a sidearm, especially a something like a .44 magnum if you’re up north, like in Montana.
Almost anywhere in the united states, there’s at least one animal that can hurt you in the woods.
In my part of Arkansas, its wild dogs (coyotes are afraid of humans here).
They are big, mean, tough, and they’re not afraid to hurt you.
.17 HMR or 9mm would be good for wild dogs, heck, even a .22 could kill em if you’re good enough of a marksman.
But you know how i mentioned Montana earlier?
.44 Magnum is a Grizzly Bear round.
Bringing something like a 9mm, .45 ACP, and ESPECIALLY .22 (doesn’t matter if its 22 LR or not) would make you pretty undergunned for Grizzly Bear defense.
Also, from what I’ve heard from multiple Bear attack survivors, Bear Spray is useless.