I've not read the whole thread, but I simply had to read the original post, to see if the concern was that one might lose the element of surprise if the bear saw the gun! Then I see that the cause for concern is genuine and justified, though the phrase, "...gunfight with a bear<' was amusing. Weeeelllll, here are my suggestions to the OP:

First, stop doing yard work. Bending, stooping and such is bad for you and causes orthopedic and neurological damage. When you stop that, then carrying the 686 won't be a problem. Better yet, sit out on the porch sipping a cold one while you watch someone else do the yard work, with the 686 at your side. One problem solved.

Second, those 2 3/4" Rugers you've mentioned are nifty little guns. I shot a few of my .357 carbine loads through my 2 3/4" Speed Six recently. The load is a 187gr. LBT GC bullet from Cast Performance over a large dose of WW 296. It runs at 1914 fps. from my Marlin 1894, and at 1356 fps. from the 2 3/4" Ruger. Recoil is brisk, but would be less so in the 686. In either one, for blackies, the .357 wouldn't be bad, though I'd prefer a 12 ga. with slugs.