A friend of mine was part of a hunting party in Alaska. The guide carried a 12-gauge shotgun for defense against bears. Short barrel, and double barrel.
“Why a double-barreled shotgun?” my friend asked.
“Because two shots are all you’re gonna get,” was the reply.
I suppose the guide also carried a handgun. My friend forgot to ask about that.
“The guide carried a 12-gauge shotgun for defense against bears”
Saw a video a few years ago of seal watching trip in either Canada or Norway. The guide carried a relatively short barreled 12 gauge pump shot gun across his chest for polar bear defense. First shell or maybe two was a “firecracker’ type to deter bear then buckshot then last 2-3 were slugs. Had to carry it or a rifle by law.