I will be fully retiring soon to my old family home in northern Michigan. I now carry my Smith Model 29, 6" barrel, whenever I go out onto our property in the woods. There are many black bear and now confirmed cougars.
All the way through the 80s I could just go out there to shoot, hunt, or cut firewood without having to worry about getting attacked by predators.
The 6in barrel helps, but do you find the second shot a little hard to get off accurately?
With just Black bear and cougar, a .357 is plenty.