Bobarino
member
i also live in WA and have done a good bit of hiking in the boonies from the Olympics to the Cascades. i've run into black bears (oddly enough on the Bear River near Ilwaco) and Cougars in the Cascades. in both cases i clapped my hands loudly and yelled and they ran away. surprisingly, the most aggerssive animal i've run into was an Elk. it began to paw the ground and grunt and i really thought it was going to charge. i slowly moved away and out of its sight and we both went about our business. a shot fired into the air is probably enough to scare away most animals. unless its injured or you're too near its young. then you could be in trouble. my point is, your chances of actually having to shoot an animal in self defense is slim and a handgun, no matter what the caliber, is not going to be as effective as we would hope. personally, i would choose capacity over caliber when it comes to wild animals. i'd rather have lots of chances to hit it somewhere where it will hurt enough to make it stop attacking. i agree that hardball is the way to go in the wilderness. i have never had to test my theories (thank goodness) so i have no facts to back up my claims, its just personal preference. enjoy your hikes!
Bobby
Bobby