Just carry a picture of Pelosi with you...and a .357 or bigger handgun with hollow points.
.357? Yeah but minimum. Good for black bear. Hollow points? May not get through a thick skull to the brain or dense fur and muscle to vitals. FMJ or lead hard cast might be better for penetration, or alternate between hollow and FMJ in cylinder or magazine.
Heavy, solid flat-faced bullets for DEEP penetration!
Hollow points are for two-legs style varmints.
.357 or bigger yes, but you need a hunting round, hard cast round that will penetrate more than a regular jacket hollow point round for two legged critters. I recommend Buffalo Bore ammo for .357, .44 mag, etc...