From the CM article:
"The bear scat reminded Woodman of the gun. He doubted he’d need it, but if he did it wouldn’t do much good stuffed away. He pulled the chunky pistol out of the pack, loaded it, and slipped it in his pocket."
Not only did he have the pistol and know how to shoot it, he took it out of his pack and had it handy when needed.
My respect grows.