This may be a stupid thought, but as far as I am aware, most if not all states require you to be 21 to puchase a handgun. Being 15, you might want to check your local regulations and see if it is legal for you to hunt with a handgun.

Now, safety police aside...

Personaly, I would recommend the .41 mag. to you. Better bullets, larger bullets, more energy, and in my experience, more reliable than the .357 in marginal situations.