I think this is more of a regional thing. It's probably easier to sneak up on a bear here than in the west. You could never see a bear a mile away here, or even a few hundred feet in most cases.

What I am avoiding is coming face to face with one and startling it. The truth is, even traveling very stealthily the odds of startling a bear are very low, but I have done it.

The bear that was hiding from me was likely there because I came up on it so quickly and quietly. I was stupid enough to stop and take off my pack within feet of where it was hiding, and at that point I'm sure the bear felt trapped and threatened.

My stupidity in that incidence still stuns me. My luck in getting out of it unscathed still amazes me. That the two people with me, who followed me there, did not get hurt still makes me stop and give thanks, and I have to be honest and realize that the outcome could have been much different.

My experience has been that to see wildlife it's best to sit still and be quiet. You have to wait at least 20 minutes before the forest even starts to become active again, and it picks up slowly and gradually after that. Finding a spot near a game trail is best. Deer can see you blink an eye and they react to it. Coyotes will trot right by you and never know you were there. I've never had a bear walk up on me while doing that.

I do that a lot. It's one of the reasons I don't make many miles when I solo, but you can sure see a lot when you do it. It takes patience and discipline though, and some luck. I swear I've had crows come sit in a tree near me and caw like crazy, and keep coming back every few minutes and doing it again. I get the feeling they think it's funny