Very nice bear sawfish, I hope to take one with a handgun some day too
I will tell you the 100% truth. If you carry a rifle (along with your handgun) when you are hunting, and hope to get a shot with your handgun, it is probably not going to happen. I did that for years on various hunts. I wore my old Super Blackhawk almost shiny, but never fired a shot through the pistol. Dealing with a rifle when game is spotted, while trying to access your handgun, is just too cumbersome. I never killed anything with a handgun (other than small game) when I had my rifle. Lack of confidence in handgun shooting skills, as well as the comfortable crutch of the rifle, prey on human frailties. I left my rifle at home fifteen years ago, and have hunted exclusively with my handguns ever since.
Although it no longer matters (in this state), my one exception would be when hunting bear with hounds. I grew up hunting deer with my Uncles in the Louisiana swamps. Most of them were houndsmen, so I understand the value and importance of a good hunting dog. At the option of the houndsman, I would use a rifle to ensure the bear was dead when it hit the ground, in order to avoid injury to the dogs. Thankfully, the guys that I hunted with when I killed this bear were confident in my handgunning skills, and I did not let them down.
