One thing I would add is that be it black or brown bears or lions or moose for that matter they are all individual animals just as we are. Generalizations are all well and good until they're not. You need to understand that each encounter will most likely be unique and that situational awareness and preparation is your best bet to avoid a bad outcome.

There are so many factors that are unknowns when you bump into an animal along your travels. How well fed is it, how stressed is it due to human traffic. Is it pressured by encroachment of habitat or loss of food sources. Is the animal sick or injured. What is the history of prior human contact and the outcomes.

I am always wary of any animal that is bigger than me or that has the shear physical power to easily harm me. A bad tempered pit bull for example is one animal that has great potential to do bodily harm yet they are not often considered until a bad event has taken place. I set aside machismo and don't make apologies for my caution as it has served me well. Don"t forget statistically humans are at the top of the list for harmful animals and they are all around us.

I have spent a lot of time in the woods of New England hunting, hiking and BPing over the years and was quite cavalier about bears as encounters were very rare. I believe things have changed considerably over the years and I have been seeing and hearing of a lot more bear encounters than ever before many of which are not ending well. Poor human behavior and lack of habitat have embolden them.

I don't consider BPing with bears a huge risk as I have done my homework, practice good habits and the stats prove it out. That does not mean I don't understand there certainly are risks however. Its just that my wife and I accept them. Having been involved in many risky activities I always weight the odds and accept the consequences before hand and I make sure those I am responsible for understand the same.

So to conclude don't let fear drive your decisions. Read as much as you can about bear behavior and what behaviors you must practice when among them. Use your own common sense and filter carefully the advise you receive and have a game plan for next time you want to spend a wonderful time camping out. With this experience you have already learned a lot, you just need to think about what happened and what you might do differently it if it were to happen again. Bottom line though is no one was hurt, you or the bear