Luckydog,

Sorry to have offended you. Eldeguello is more eloquent than I. There was a time when I carried both a rifle (a .375 H&H)and a handgun (a .44 Redhawk) in Alaska. The ONE time I ran into a bear (and cub), the first one up was the .375. Had the bear charged (she didn't), there'd have beenno time left to chamber either another round in the rifle or to grab the handgun. Had there been enough time, I certainly would have jacked another round into the .375 as opposed to reaching for the .44. So, I stopped carrying the handgun.

Granted, carry a rifle everywhere isn't always convenient. So, if you're looking for an alternative (around camp, etc.), I'd definitely look no smaller than the .44. The .454 Casull seems very popular there even as of last summer.