Vanya:
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As a dedicated canoeist, I have to agree with this as a general statement -- but wanting to carry a shotgun along doesn't seem like a good reason for a dedicated hiker to give up hiking. There's something profoundly wrong with the idea that you have to stop doing something you love, the better to carry the weight of something you're unlikely to need.
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True, but I don't think it an either/or proposition. One can do both. Most of my hikes take place on trails where there are no Brown or Black Bears. The only predators one might meet on those trails are the two legged variety. Once in a while we head down to the mountains in Tennessee where there are Black bears. I carry a .357 magnum revolver on those occasions.
However, if I were to visit and camp in Brown bear country, I could see having the added insurance of a shotgun, loaded with 1 3/8 oz Brenneke Black Magic slugs (or similar) on hand. That's a 600 gr, magnum slug, with an effective range out to 100 yds. In my younger days, I could carry a lot more gear on my back. Day hikes are all we do now. However, the idea of camping/trekking by canoe/kayak sounds very appealing.