The 357 is enough gun in most cases. A 44 Mag opens up your margin for error a bit. Always use a hard cast bullet that will break bone and keep going.

But when a bear charges I'd like a 12 gauge slug as back up if my hand grenade didn't work.

Hand grenade! ha! I gotta remember that one ha! Oh yes that would be my first shot with a slug, No closer than 50 yds. if I can help it. I want the head and the fur. I've never herd of eating bear meat! Might taste like?? "Bear"

Bear meat is excellent. We're having it tonight. Sauer Braten. We've had bear 4 times in the last month and are loving it each time.

Is there any other animal that it might taste like?

Beef, but more tender. Not gamey at all. You put a bear roast in a crock pot and slow cook it, people will think it's the most tender pot roast they ever had.

I love roast beef and your making me hungry for some bear, knowing it's not gamey makes it all the better also. If I kill a black bear, I'll have to watch the weight of the bear, I have a good size freezer. Even at 300lbs. dressed, I'd have to give away quite a lot of the meat. First I would have to invite family over for some roast, after they eat tell elm it's black bear. Then I would not have any problem giving some of it a way, is there a musk gland to be aware off when I dress it out?

You get less meat from a bear than you would expect. A lot of fat and heavy bones add to the weight. Don't get me wrong, you'll still have a lot. A 300 pound bear would give you two deer worth of meat.

You have some high expectations of picking up a 300 dressed-weight bear :). The average bear will be around 150-200. Also, it's a bitch dragging a 300-400 pound bear. :)

I could not drag a 100ld bear out of a wooded area, No, what I should have said is, I would field dress the bear, the head and it's fur still in one piece. and cut up the bear so I could carry the bear out. Shoot, I'm disabled and I'm 59 years old, not in anyway in good health. Hell my dad is 80 years old, he is in remarkable shape for his age.

On your first one it would be a HUGE asset to you to have someone with experience there to help.

If possible.

Virginia does an annual bear hunt in the Dismal Swamp and the only legal weapon is shotguns with slugs. Anyone trying to say that a 12 ga shooting a slug won't do a bear in most likely has no experience with hunting with them. I've shot a lot of game with them and I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bear with a slug. I know for a fact that they work because I've done the Dismal Swamp hunt and I've seen the dead bears at the check station.

I haven't personally taken a bear on that hunt but I have shot several bear on other hunts with a rifle. I don't think the average black bear is any tougher than the average buck deer. Anything that is legal on deer (besides the .22 centerfires) will work on bear. They ain't bullet proof and a .70 caliber hole in the lungs will do the trick.