Everyone who argues with a bear loses. My dad took me hunting once and we saw a bear. He pulled out his 357 and we slowly moved back to the car. My dad was sweating in rivers. Told me to be sure and save one bullet for myself if it ever came down to it with a bear. Dad was 6'2" tall and weighed nearly 300 pounds. Scared me to death.
Many city folks say that bears will only eat fruits and nuts.
Bears will eat anything...even us...given the chance.
357 is OK for a black bear, but for a larger one it's completely inadequate. 44 mag or better.