there are some really good local gun shops in the metro area that will take care of you better than the goosehill. I personally buy a lot from Gunstop, Al's in white bear lake, Streichers, and some from bills.
Others on here buy from Frontiersman, Joe's, Wolf's den, and some others they will chime in about.
I find the local owner part makes for way better customer service, as well as as good if not better prices.
Its not that Gander does a bad job, but that some local shops do it better.
There are a lot of guys here who will meet with you at local ranges and let you try all their guns for the price of range time and ammo. believe me, Spending $50 on range and ammo picking out a gun you really like and that you can shoot is well worth it. If you look at hte sales board here, you see lots of "I bought this but it does not work like I thought and I am selling it for $100 less than I paid for it" ads.
As far as bear repellent, one major question. Big bears or black bears? Black bears can be dealt with most any proper carry caliber from 9 mm to 45 ACP, as long as you change from JHP to solids. A black bear generally weighs the same as a large human, and will die about as hard. If you are talking big bears, of the brown or grizzly nature, the starting point really is the .41 mag, but that is rare and the .44 mag becomes the baseline. And if you are dealing with them, then getting a dedicated bear gun in not that difficult, used 44 vaqueros and SBH's start in the mid 300's and go up from there.
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).I Bought it for $425 at a gun show here in Minnesota, same quality as glock but so much better ergonomics and accuracy . What I'm saying is that you should go out there and try out as many hand guns as you can and take your time . 2) The caliber is your choice , I would consider price , size and weight again . I target shoot Winchester white 9mm box but carry hollow point with a lot more grain power and it suits my needs . 3) Holster , I'd spend the money on a good holster possibly a cross witch you can use on the outside during the winter and as IWB during the summer . Summer is a bit of a problem when it gets hot and you don't want to wear too many clothes but still conceal your weapon ( again how bulky and heavy do you want your handgun to be ),on the other hand I don't like them small double action guns that you only hold with two or three of your fingers and takes too long to pull the trigger and too snappy of a recoil.That is why I think for conceal and carry the middle size gun is the best choice , now if you want to go to a competition then a full size will be a good fit for the purpose. I have neighbor that has XD45 and he is supper happy with it . Another time I asked a guy at the range about it and he said that it is "OK" meaning he liked his Sig Sauer better so I hope you are going to explore your possibilities and make the right decision and hey if you don't like it you can always sell it and buy another one 
