Interesting that most bear problems are in national parks, not national forests. It's partly more front-country tourons plus the USNPS habit of relocating problem bears to the backcounty to prey on us backpackers, but I suspect the main reason is that bears are definitely more wary of people in locations where they are hunted.

Not that there aren't bear problems in some locations in national forests, but most of the time you'll never see or hear of a bear outside of a national park. If you do see one, it's usually the hind end of a bear that's heading in the opposite direction at full speed.

That being said, proper food storage is essential no matter where you are.