>>2511592I lived and worked in remote areas of SE Alaska. I've had a close encounter with a black bear and also have came up on a grizzly in the woods a couple times. I was running when I saw the black bear. It wasn't very big, close to my size. I just turned around and ran the other way when I saw him. Didn't feel threatened at all. First time seeing a grizzly bear up close is pretty scary, like seeing a shark in the ocean. The reality is that like sharks, bears don't really care about or want to eat us. I would break advice into two categories.
>low riskYou are in the lower 48, there are a few blackbears but your chance of running into any kind of bear is pretty low. This is how most of my outings are now that I live down south and I take no precautions.
>high riskYou are in an area with a lot of bears and the chance you see a bear is high. People from Alaska who go out in areas with a lot of bears pretty much just bring guns. If you get attacked by a 1000 pound animal with sharp teeth and claws that can outrun you are you seriously going to trust your life to a can of pepper spray and a bell?
