One thing I would mention about the data is to actually read the data. There has been a large increase in the number of attacks in the last 20 years. There are more Black bears precisely because of policies that refuse to manage bear populations.

And it is the "preservationist" mindset of today's enviro-yuppie-scum that causes the problem. I was born and raised in Montana and I remember very well the difference between the Old-timer Conservationists and the present crop of Preservationists. And the same soggy-brained preservationist mindset is busy mismanaging here in Oregon. The only positive I've seen has been the Congressional end-around the ESA with Wolf management. Idaho, (which I backpack, hunt & fish in a lot), has been screwed up with Wolf over-popuation and is now finally able to cull the damned things back to a reasonable level (apex predators that breed like rats).

Grizzlies are a different subject since they are still pretty localized in the US. Unless we've got somebody from Wyoming who can give us an ear full.