Bow hunting personal protection firearm.

What caliber side arm would be sufficiet for protection while bow hunting to protect against bear and cougar?

Without a doubt for me, I carry a 44 mag. Some may say it is over kill, but If I want to dissuade something I don't want to have to shoot a dozen times. Same thing for concealed carry!

I would carry a 9x23. Odd caliber but amazing.

I have a snub nose Ruger SP101 in .357. I wanted a pistol that would cover a wide range of use, from personal protection to bear encounters. I keep 380 ammo in it when its in the car and then I throw in the .357 180 grain solids when headed into bear country. I can also practice alot with the pistol since 380 ammo is cheap and recoil is next to nothing.

MT backcountry hunter,

I hope you mean you keep .38 special ammo in your sp101. :confused: That is a fine carry pistol.

I think good bear spray is the best deterrent to a bear attack. There have been a lot of people mauled by wounded bears, and then there are tragedies like the hunter being shot and killed by his partner in north Idaho this year, trying to shoot a mauling grizzly.

That said, I often carry a .40 S&W Glock while in the backcountry.

44, 454 or 500 with solid cast bullets if you can make a drop dead in their tracks shot in a panic or save a ton of weight with bear spray.

I carry a 41 mag and would prefer not to carry anything smaller in griz country.

Glock 21C 45acp or the G22-23 40 S&W

I carry either a bobbed ruger super redhawk (4"bbl.) shooting Barnes XPB,
or a 4" N-frame S&W in .41 mag. also with the Barnes bullets. I agree with Jerry,
one good hit with a big-bore is better than the "spray & pray" with lesser calibers.

I carry a Taurus Judge, 3 45 long colts, and the rest are 410. Don't get the big grizz in Utah, so I think it would work fine on Black bear.