Because you said you'd like to carry and a large caliber I'd suggest a S&W 45shield. It's not super expensive, compact, and shoots nicely in my opinion.
I was going to suggest a .45 also, because the OP mentions big game. The Colt Commander is small enough to conceal, especially if you mate it with a clip that will attach to the inside waistband. I don't know how it would stack up against a bear, but if you do a mag dump on a bear, you just might get his attention, especially if you're using hollowpoints. A .45 against a mountain lion might me more effective because it's a smaller animal than a bear, but lions have a way of stalking their prey and pouncing rapidly, might not be able to get to your concealed sidearm.
I think thats a great assessment fren, I recommend the trigger style safety because of the ability to rapidly deploy and shoot. Being able to deploy and fire in as few movements as possible if a cat were to pounce on you could make all the difference.
Wow, this poor women got torn up but luckily wasn't killed. It's a real shame the only thing her friends had to fight back were sticks and stones. That attack was brutal. When I vacationed in Tennessee I carried because of the threat of bears but to think about being ambushed by a cat would add a whole different angle to that.
Because you said you'd like to carry and a large caliber I'd suggest a S&W 45shield. It's not super expensive, compact, and shoots nicely in my opinion.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/m-p-45-shield-m2.0-no-thumb-safety
I was going to suggest a .45 also, because the OP mentions big game. The Colt Commander is small enough to conceal, especially if you mate it with a clip that will attach to the inside waistband. I don't know how it would stack up against a bear, but if you do a mag dump on a bear, you just might get his attention, especially if you're using hollowpoints. A .45 against a mountain lion might me more effective because it's a smaller animal than a bear, but lions have a way of stalking their prey and pouncing rapidly, might not be able to get to your concealed sidearm.
I think thats a great assessment fren, I recommend the trigger style safety because of the ability to rapidly deploy and shoot. Being able to deploy and fire in as few movements as possible if a cat were to pounce on you could make all the difference.
Oddly enough, I JUST came across this article about a cougar attack.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/cougar-attack-washington-state-cyclists
Wow, this poor women got torn up but luckily wasn't killed. It's a real shame the only thing her friends had to fight back were sticks and stones. That attack was brutal. When I vacationed in Tennessee I carried because of the threat of bears but to think about being ambushed by a cat would add a whole different angle to that.