Two weeks from today, my son and I fly to Idaho for a spring bear hunt. I'm going with an outfitter. We will be using dogs in the morning, and sitting on baits in the evening. This highly anticipated hunt has been planned since February 2019, and was postponed a year by Covid.

The morning hunts will likely be vehicular, but hunting bears with hounds can get physically strenuous quickly when the bear takes the pack through the steepest and thickest country he can find. I have a strong opinion that this is the role of an open sighted revolver. Secured in a holster, the revolver is out of the way until needed, and when it's needed, the revolver delivers the necessary power and accuracy.

Sitting over bait for the afternoon hunt, may pose a different challenge. I understand the baits will be set not more than 100 yards away, but the thing about bears over baits is fighting darkness. That is, the bear will likely arrive at last light.

And one more wrinkle, I hope to find some of those Idaho rockchucks I have seen posted here before. I love shooting the occasional groundhog, and shooting multiple rockchucks in a day would be the ultimate fun.

Obviously, I've had time to think about it, but I'm curious, what handgun or handguns would YOU carry on a hunt like this?