I’ve spent many nights on the Yukon River by myself farrrr away from any people. I always carried a .500 S & W on a homemade holster suspended from a both shoulders harness which reduced/eliminated back pain after hours of wear.
Practicing SAFE camping (ate/cooked one place then moved downriver 10 miles) and no fires at my 2nd (sleeping) campsite and all food in a bear barrel, I never saw a bear close up. Thank you lord because I did not want to shoot one.
Weren’t you hungry after hiking ten more miles from your meal area? Wouldn’t one mile have done the job?