While preparing for an upcoming bowhunting trip for black bear, the owner of the lodge informed us that we may wish to carry a legal firearm along as a backup weapon, as we’d be hunting predominately on our own in very remote areas.

Call me naive, but as a newcomer to the world of bear hunting, in a worst-case scenario, the thought of going toe to toe with a 300- to 500-pound black bear with only a bow and arrow to defend myself didn’t sound too appealing.

Just the thought of climbing down from a tree stand in the dark in bear country and walking through the woods alone seemed reason enough for me to pursue the purchase of a backup weapon. Then the lodge owner calls and informs me to bring a ground blind because he planned on having me set up on a site that didn’t have any trees suitable for an elevated stand.

So let’s get this straight. He wants me, a newcomer to the bear woods, to sit at ground level mere yards away from a baited site with only a thin piece of camouflage material separating me from hundreds of pounds of teeth, muscle and claws. Obviously he doesn’t realize that I panic when a bear attacks me while playing Cabela’s Dangerous Game on my son’s Playstation.

That was all it took to put me in the market for a large-caliber handgun. I needed something to give me a little piece of mind and be capable of stopping or at least deterring a bear from chewing on this particular Missouri hunter. After all, up until now the only thing I’ve had to worry about when leaving the woods was crossing paths with an odiferous skunk.

While shopping for a handgun capable of handling these duties, I narrowed my search down to revolvers because of their tradition of dependability and, well, I’m a Clint Eastwood fan. Go ahead bear ... make my day!

The frugal side of me also had to add its input and noted that it seemed kind of silly to purchase a gun that most likely (or at least hopefully) will never get used in a defensive mode. After all, the chances of actually being attacked by a bear are, honestly, pretty darn slim.

This narrowed my search down even more as I decided if I were going to purchase a good handgun, I wanted something capable of pulling double duty as a whitetail deer gun around here with the addition of some fun afternoons at the firing range.

What I needed was a medium- to large-framed revolver with a minimum of a 6-inch barrel and preferably something capable of handling a scope.

When it comes to large-caliber handguns there’s a wide variety of choices from the ever-popular .357-magnum all the way up to the Smith and Wesson 500. Deciding which caliber will suit your needs best depends on factors such as cost, recoil, gun weight and feel, its purpose and many others.

For me the decision was easy. I’m going with a .357-magnum. While a .357 may be on the lower spectrum of take-down power in the realm of large revolvers, with the right loads it packs enough punch to take down nearly any North American big game animal, including black bear and whitetail deer.

That’s of course when taking only responsible and proper shot opportunities at reasonable distances for the load you’re carrying (for me 50 yards or less — like I said, I like a challenge).

I also chose the .357 because I enjoy going to the range for a day of shooting and can buy a box of 50 .38 special shells (which can be shot from a .357) for around $15 while the same number of shells for a S&W 500 could easily run upwards of $90 to $100.

While I have nothing against the larger calibers on the market, the .357 just seems to be a better overall fit for a beginning large-caliber enthusiast like myself.

Like many other age-old debates — Ford vs. Chevy, carbon arrows vs. aluminum, pump shotguns vs. autoloaders, paper vs. plastic — everyone has a different opinion and idea of what will meet their needs the best. The important thing is to figure it out, head outside and enjoy it.