Really ......."It may be something in the water up here, but the cats and bears around here like to attack hunters. The local hospital gets hikers and hunters fairly regularly that were wounded by them"
Do you have any links to all these cat and bear attacks, I have not heard of any recently, heck they been less than 10 bear attacks in all of Washington state in the last 50 years, with very few cat attacks also!!! me thinks someone might be messin with yer head...........I don't carry a hand gun when I'm hunting, I don't need it I have a high powered rifle that works much better for dispatchin pests!!! Why carry the extra weight in case of a none existant threat???
You asked for advise as you say you are inexperianced but then don't want to listen to said advice... then why ask??? I would worry about a fellow hunter mistaking me for game and shooting me before I would worry about a black bear or cougar!!! JUst my two cents and I have been hunting Washington state for about 50 yrs now!!!!