I recall once seeing a guy on another forum (can't remember which one) who carried a S&W M500 with a 3" barrel as an EDC, but then again, he lived in Alaska, not Illinois.

Furthermore, unless you're likely to encounter the absolute biggest, baddest bears in North America, you're probably better off carrying something smaller, lighter, easier to shoot, yet still totally effective.

Folks tend to be of the opinion that anything less than .44 Magnum is inadequate for defense against predatory animals, but in reality most animals across the United States can be dealt with using non-magnum cartridges like .44 Special or .45 Long Colt when it comes to Black Bear, and for smaller predatory animals like Mountain Lions you can actually get away with using standard duty cartridges like 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP.
Coyotes? Pfft... People have been known to drop Coyotes with Pocket Pistols. Heck, Ruger actually did a run of Limited Edition Coyote Brown LCPs after a Governor successfully used an LCP to drop a Coyote who was attacking his dog.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.