I am going to fly up so getting the gun there should not be a problem. I have hunted bears in Canada once and flew up in a private plane and they searched it well looking for handguns. It got pretty interesting having a black bear climb the tree with me with only a bow in my hands...LOL. He came up behind me and I never saw him till the tree started to shake as he climbed up. It wasn't really that scary since the guide had told me they would probably do that. I have heard a lot of people say the .41 is a good bear gun for Alaska and that it is easier to control. I have never shot a .44 but don't mind the .41 at all. Maybe this will be an excuse for another pistol.
the .44 mag is not that bad. I handload some reduced power loads to plink with, but some of the 240 grain max loads can be a handfull, but they sure are effective