I don't bother to carry a handgun here in KY on my own farm, but out in Colorado, when I had the legs, lungs, and energy to hunt elk, I always carried a .44 or .41 magnum. For me, dressing out an elk was a half day operation, working alone, then the packing out began, usually late in the day.
Carrying a 9 lb. rifle with each load out, then back to the kill site was more than I was willing to do. So I was in the habit of leaving my Whelen in the Jeep.
Then I found fresh bear tracks in my outbound trail in 6" of snow....100 lbs of fresh meat on my back and nothing in my hands...I found that 3 lbs of magnum in a 'tanker' type holster across my chest felt a lot better than the cold shivers I got up my spine when I saw that bear sign...
Rod