Well, since it's a beginner's forum, I won't countenance the "treat black bears like big raccoons" as much as I for the most part agree with it and I've been guilty treating them that way an awful lot myself. My Jasper's got grizzlies, and I give them a very healthy amount of respect. Nevertheless they're still darn cool, but any bear has to be treated with a modicum of respect, and I've seen 'em plenty but never had a problem with them. The only reason you should be "overrun" with bears in a campground is because people have been conditioning them, which eventually means they are dead. At least where I hike, We have lots more tourists than grizzlies - unfortunately they don't shoot the tourons - they shoot the conditioned bears <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> We fortuntely don't have a big problem with it most places
due to some aggressive education. I saw the last eastern slopes grizzly mortality study. The second biggest cause of grizzly death is the train line (grain spills, they come out and eat it, and get hit). The first biggest cause of grizzly death is "Native Harvest" [1] up here.

I've certianly not been "overrun" with black bears at any backcountry campground in jasper. I won't comment on the large roadside motorohome parkades that I avoid camping in like the plague - too many stupid people there!

[1] No Canadian politician has the stones to stand up and tell natives that taking money under the table for a rich american hunter to "native harvest" a grizzly bear is a crock.