I'm going to Elk camp next week in North Central Idaho where there are a ton of wolves, cougars, and bears.
Nobody I know packs a 9mm for a hunting sidearm up here.
I carry a Glock 10mm with hard cast bullets and 180gr XTPs. Or my Ruger SBH in .45 Colt.
Not saying that 99% of the time you wouldn't be fine with a 9mm, but it's certainly not the norm up here near grizzly country. Especially since there's been an increase in bear attacks the past few years.
I almost never bother with a sidearm when I'm hunting, and most guys I know don't either unless you're talking bow hunting. A hunting rifle will take care of anything bad I run into a lot more effectively than any handgun. After I fill my tag I do like to carry a handgun and it's usually a 9mm. I generally hunt in eastern Oregon or southwest Idaho so would have the same critters as north Idaho, except for the potential of grizzly bears. Honestly the only animal that would actually worry me much in the northwest is a cougar and a 9mm should be pretty effective against one of them, as handguns go.