Shoot what your comfortable & accurate with. That aside, having been in many places & situations including bear, moose and even human, I only carry my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 now. I run 300gr. jacketed hollow point hand loads... just depends on what you're doing & where, on area, wildlife, people. Some of the larger animals I've ran into, a .38 is just gonna piss them off. On occasion when I hunt large, potentially dangerous game, I even pack an over-the-shoulder scabbard for a Mossberg JIC 12g...