Good post, man! Well put.
I am curious about this:
...as I extricated myself from the last of the alder, the bear suddenly appeared about 15 yards away out of some high grass. He was as surprised as I was! I'm sure the bear was trying to decide whether to charge or run. I reacted first, and shot for the shoulder.
Can you go in to your decision to shoot, as opposed to no-shoot or use spray? If the bear was not being actively hostile, why did you decide to shoot?
Note, I am NOT saying you were wrong. I want to better understand what "reasonable measures" are for dropping the bear. I do hike out West but not often, and I want to improve my mental parameters for shoot/no-shoot on bears in case I need to justify that decision someday. From the info I've received from the NPS in Yellowstone, I don't think they'd be happy if I shot a bear (even at 15 yards) that was not aggressing on me, but I expect I would feel the need to do so.
Again, great post. Nothing beats first-hand experience.
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