It is a bit heavy, although I used to hunt with mine. Of course I wasn't carrying 80+ pounds of other equipment either.
If she had a Remington 870 pump, that guy would probably still be alive. It makes a very distinctive sound when you chamber a round, and that's usually all it takes to scare 'em off. Myself... The afforementioned 870 is first choise, followed by an M1 Garand and backed up with a Walther PP