See aside from the bow hunting and the hiking the odds of encountering a bear in thick country is somewhat less.
That would generally give you more time to be ready, so rate of fire of a handgun is less important then being able to do some serious damage.
That to me makes the 44mag still on the top.
In most cases if I was just checking things ect I'd rather have a rifle or a shotgun.
There's just that much more reassurance with a long gun, no problem at all if you choose to carry a handgun but much as with a rifle carrying the biggest gun you can accurately shoot is still the best choice.
Looking at all the choices out there a Kentucky Ballistics Derringer in 45/70 would be my pick for serious bear defence.
It's a bit like a big bore double rifle for dangerous game, you might only have two shots and a lot of recoil but when your life is on the line that much power will save your life, small, light and absolutely deadly especially in very close quarters.
Although admittedly that's a hell of a lot of recoil for most people in most situations. I just believe that what you hit something with is more important then how many times you hit it.