The real question is whether one has plans to hunt brown and polar bears. If the answer is no, or if the answer is “Maybe someday, after I get a job and buy a house and a car and have a family” (in other words not likely), then a person can get by with less gun than a 30-06. The 30-06 is certainly not a bad choice by any means, but if my answer did not include big bears I would opt for something with a lot less kick and muzzle blast.
