If people are your main concern, a quality revolver or semiautomatic of adequate caliber is all the gun you need. I submit the .38 Special or 9mm (depending on whether you prefer a revolver or semiautomatic) as practical minimum calibers.

Three-inch K-frames such as these Smith & Wesson Performance Center .357 Magnums are perfect for self-defense and general outdoor carry.

When my wife walks around the ranch, she carries a full-size Kimber Aegis 9mm on her hip. She stokes it with Winchester's 127-grain +P+ Ranger SXT load, which will easily stop a rabid fox or bad guy in his tracks, yet it barely kicks at all in a full-size 1911.

Alternatively, a three- or four-inch K-frame revolver in .38 Special or .357 Magnum will work just as well and has a simpler manual of arms more suited to inexperienced shooters.

Since I use my handgun to hunt and to dispatch clients' wounded animals, I gravitate toward a good revolver chambered for a powerful cartridge during hunting season. Some of my favorites include a Crimson Trace laser grip-equipped Smith & Wesson Model 629 and a Mag-na-ported custom Ruger Super Blackhawk--both in .44 Magnum. I am also quite fond of my Freedom Arms Model 97 in .45 Colt.

The author's wife, Lisa, is partial to her Kimber Aegis 9mm for ranch wear. Her +P loads are tamed by the weight of the gun.

All of my carry revolvers have barrels in the 45⁄8- to 51⁄2-inch range, which is the perfect size range for daily wear in a hip holster. I load them hot and sight them in to hit on top of the front sight at 25 yards, but I know where they hit at 100. They are reliable, powerful enough to ventilate bad guys or put venison on the table, and accurate enough to reach out to hunting distances.

When hunting season closes, I usually switch to a semiautomatic, and my autoloader of choice is whichever 1911 I am sweet on at the moment. Lately, I've been partial to my Rock River 1911 for daily carry, but I opt for light rail-equipped models from Wilson Combat, Kimber or Springfield Armory when tooling around the ranch at night.

My semiauto carry guns are almost always chambered in .45 ACP, but I've become quite fond of the 10mm lately. Some may consider it a bit hot for daily carry in urban environments, but the hard-hitting, flat-shooting 10mm cartridge is just the ticket for handling a variety of targets in wide-open spaces.

Bear Country Options In bear country, something bigger is in order. The .454 Casull, .460 S&W and .500 S&W are ideal choices if you can handle them. Long-barreled revolvers are tempting because they help tame the tremendous recoil of those powerful cartridges, but the snub-nosed specialty guns are ideal for bear defense.

I must admit that shooting Smith & Wesson's new snub-nosed Emergency Survival revolvers chambered in .460 or .500 S&W isn't fun. But those big, heavy bullets are the best medicine for dealing with a determined bear at close range.

Selecting a holster for daily, open carry is a bit easier than choosing a concealed-carry holster. Because you'll wear it for long periods of time, comfort is essential. I lean toward wide belts for ranch wear because they distribute the weight over a wider area and don't dig into my side as much as a thinner belt.