If you're talking about self defense, you owe it to yourself to imagine yourself in a courtroom later. The prosecutor is telling the jury about your "Hellcat" pistol, or your modified 1911 with the "hair trigger" while your defense attorney is back peddling trying to explain these things away. Take those inflammatory issues off the table by using a common, unmodified, sidearm shooting the kind of ammo that law enforcement uses, like Gold Dots. And don't say a darn thing to law enforcement -- just contact your lawyer before anyone else. Your lawyers' 24 hour number should be in your cell phone. All the talk about calibers and specific ammo choices is second to shot placement anyway.
For walking in the woods, and/or camping in the wild, I favor a good 10mm with Underwood.