Wow, this thread has certainly risen from the dead!

4seventy:
If moving to Alaska is likely to be too expensive or 'climatically challenging', you could contemplate moving to the Northern Territory! If your business can demonstrate a genuine need, it can apply for an 'occupational' H-class licence, then you can register handguns for carriage against feral stock and dangerous wildlife while working in the field. Handguns are routinely carried by many professional fishermen, pastoralists, park rangers, surveyors, and hunting guides in remote parts of the NT, but as I have said before, the NT Firearms Registry has a definite 'no dickheads' policy when assessing applications for H-class licences (which we're all quite pleased to see, by the way!).

For the info of others, the H-class restriction to .38-calibre in Australia applies to certain disciplines of competitive target shooting only, and has no affect whatsoever on the 'occupational' use of handguns.