I completely agree with that.

Honestly, I'd feel more comfortable dealing with a bear that walked into my camp than having a person with a gun there.

We have black bears here too. There is one that hangs out near a campsite on a popular trail in the Ouachita mountains down in Arkansas (the Eagle Rock Loop I think). In every report I've heard of, the people that encountered it did nothing but wait for it to leave. I suspect that bear will get ballsy soon, probably this Spring or Summer. I mentioned in a post about it that I replied to that they need to start teaching that bear that it is unwelcome, and not one local backed that up. I honestly think it's because they think they'd like to see it too, and I'm concerned that people are purposely going to the spot where its been sighted to get a glimpse. If that's the case, then baiting the bear is probably going on too.

The first problem with that is a person may be injured or killed in an encounter with the bear. After that the bear will be killed for sure. The other is that the bear is much more likely to get killed by a hunter. I'm not against hunter bears there, but I don't think they should be trained to walk right up to a gun barrel and stand there thinking they are going to get a treat to eat.

Anyway, I never carry any weapons when I hike or backpack. I don't use a canister or even hang my food very often here, and I seldom use trails or campsites. I see bear scat every now and then, but the only bear I've ever seen here was hiding from me when I saw it. I left, the bear stayed put, and we haven't crossed paths since. (I've also gotten a little more cautious about sticking my nose into spots where bears might like to hang out. )