Having an understanding of bear behavior makes a big difference in how one feels about sharing trails with bears. Bears don't act arbitrarily. They don't mind their own business and then leap out of nowhere and attack a human. Most bear attacks are related to hunger (lack of food sources make bears very grumpy, and hunger/malnutrition may make them much more dangerous because they are driven by instinct to eat and fatten up over a very short period of time), youthful curiosity, an protection (cubs, kill).

When salmon are running hot and heavy anglers and bears both hang out on river banks in as close to what you could call harmony as you could find between bears and humans. When salmon are sparse, bears will become very aggressive and become dangerous. Humans start to resemble prey when bears are hungry.

Education is important. Blind fear is bad. Healthy respect and a little understanding make sharing the woods with bears much more enjoyable. I know in the archives there are some good references for books about bear behavior.

MNS