I have been wondering what handgun to carry in the woods where bears could be a remote threat. Would a .357 or .45 be enough with a lucky shot or would it just make the bear angry?
Depends. Black bears or Brownies? I live on an island with both; blacks on the North end, Brownies on the South. When hiking around the North end near town, I carry my .45, wife carries her .357.
When we go to the South end, I carry my .308, she carries the 12 gage with magnum bear slugs. One of us will probably also be packing a .44 magnum.
Shooting an agitated wild animal ... there is no ace in the sleeve for that.
Any animal from a handgun cartridge will take a few hits and of course you’re not doing weaver stance on them either. You have to slow them down so you can boogie as best you can.
Even a bear with a full mag emptied into it can get you. You will slow it down and retreat some ways before it finally falls.
As mentioned before, these animals will fall because of tendons being hit or muscle being ripped. When that happens, the animal physically can’t advance like it would unhurt.
In the woods carry something with a large capacity. A cat or something fast may take 8 shots just to hit it. They are wiley and hard to hit in the first place. Coyotes hunt in packs so they surround you too. There is rarely only one tracking you and about to pounce. They communicate.
If it’s possible, a small shotgun is a great outdoors protection option. A sawed off Spanish double barrel for instance. You can even holster it.
The absolute best way to be aware of any bears in your locality is to bring a dog with you when you roam.