Yep I agree the 410 slug for bear protection would be for you right before that bear put you into the combined spin cycle/ meat grinder mode. I just did a quick look up of 44 mag vs a 410 slug, its not good for the anemic 410 slug application. I think a 410 slug puts out about 700 foot pounds and 44 mag is about 1100 at the muzzle. 410 would put a hurting on a normal man but may not stop an adrenalized 300 lbs defensive lineman. Now a 410 rifle round would be something different, that would put a whoopin on something.
Check you state regs on gauges for large game. All I know is that deer are dang tough sometimes. Shot one with a 20 gauge slug at 20 yards when hunting on an Army base and it ran off. Blood trailed it for an hour but lost it in some impenetrable thick cover. Went back to truck to grab some quick lunch and then drive over to other side of thicket to see if we could pick up any sign and found where someone had cleaned a deer. We heard no other close shots but was actually glad someone got it since we were not around immediately to claim it. After that always thought 20 gauge slug did not have enough knock down power on deer and never hunted deer with a 20 gauge again.
Maybe got proven wrong on that one many years later as well. Was hunting with a .30-06 with 180 grain bullet and shot a doe underneath my tree stand at 15 yards at dusk. As soon as I shot saw an explosion on the ground behind that deer and she spun 180 degrees where she came from but ran unphased looking 200 yards out of sight down a logging road. I thought I had missed it entirely but got down checked for sign and did not see a drop of blood anywhere close and trailed her path 25 yards with no sign but tore up ground cover and a few tracks but made my way to logging road which was easier walking to get where I had seen her last before it got to dark. Went to where thought had heard some faint sticks breaking and there she was.
Later when cleaning that deer the damage that 180 grain bullet did at that range was terrifying and I was just amazed at how far that deer ran looking completely unphased. Not to be grotesque but that bullet had completely disintegrated the heart. For the record before that I had harvested probably 20 deer with that same rifle and round and out to some good distances with the scope and those deer dropped like a bag of hammers. So to see one run off like after an up close shot had me startled and questioning if I hit it. Goes to show you, followup intensely after every shot.
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