Thanks for the responses guys. Don't feel bad for me. The bear hunt wasn't planned and was a last minute surprise. Buying that tag kept me hunting for 4 more days that I otherwise would have spent sitting in camp. I was able to go toe to toe with some Colorado bears, and they won this time. It was the best $551 dollar hunt I have been on.

I will also share something some hunters would keep to themselves. About 10 minutes after the close encounter with the chocolate bear, I got nauseous and emotional. The thoughts of just how close I was to killing such an awesome bear made my head spin. This stuff still gets me going.