That definitely made sense Heather. My memory of the number of incidents or attacks they had in the data base is something like 6 or 7 hundred. That's less than 4 years worth if the 290 a year number is reasonable...you see where I'm going with this. Just from an analysis standpoint it makes huge difference. I'll have to see if I can get a copy of the article free somewhere rather than just the abstract so I can look at the methodology used for sifting data.

We saw quite a few bears as a family in the 60's and 70's. Our first time to the Southern Sierra, I was 10 and my sister was 8, is packed with memories of my dad dealing with a black bear who had apparently been fed by a girl scout troupe a few
days prior to us arriving (this according to the ranger stationed at bear paw meadow). I was shown by my dad the next day the marks on the ground left by the bear as he watched us all night from a high spot a short distance away. Because of us kids, I don't think dad slept at all that night. I learned a lot that trip.