Snake Woods

My new residence sits on 5 acres of land, only about 1 of which is cleared. My house and shed sits on that acre. The other 4 acres are woods, what I grew up referring to as small woods. Small woods are a group of woods that you own, and are intimately familiar with, that it would be impossible to get lost in. Small woods are fun to wander around in and look at nature, and you can even take game in them, although it's unlikely (but possible) to find deer in small woods.

Now this time of year, it's cold, and reptiles are dormant, but during the spring, my small woods will become the territory of snakes and lizards, and I will be the invader. As a general rule, if I see a non-poisonous snake close by, I'll leave it alone, but if it's poisonous or if I can't tell, I kill it. My child likes the woods, and one less venomous thing out there makes me happier.

Whenever I go to the snake woods, I usually carry my .357 magnum. Now, I carry a snub-nose .38 special every day for self defense, but I may well go my entire life without having to use it. It's a measure against an eventuality that has a very, very small likelihood of ever being needed. If I knew without a doubt one morning that I was going to need a gun for self defense, I'd bring a 12 gauge. But because I don't know, I sacrifice the use of a better tool for one that is more portable and less likely to be seen and cause a stir.

In the snake woods, I carry a .357 because loaded with rat shot, the 4 inch barrel and adjustable sights make it very useful in dispatching small reptiles. I don't really need to worry about concealment, so I carry a gun better suited to the purpose of dispatching snakes.

So I was wondering: what gun do you carry in the snake woods?