My personal experience is similar to your personal experience, Black bears have been mostly a nuisance to me. But is it really good advice to insist that people should feel comfortable getting between Momma bears and her cubs? I'm just not buying that advice.
Hmmmm, not sure what you're reading. I never have said you should get between a mom and her cubs. In fact, that would be plain stupid. Probably not good advice to buy, wherever you read it. I just thought those cute little cubs were adorable :-)
As far as driving on the 395....... I've been on it, either as a kid with my parents or as a driver for 48 of my 55 years. I can tell you one thing..... way too many people have been killed on it, including hikers. I'm old enough to remember an entire family of 7 killed in their station wagon at the bottom of Sherwin grade decades ago. It's a better highway than it used to be, but mostly past the 14 interchange. I guess I'll consider the danger of bears after one wipes out an entire family of 7. Til then, I'll avoid them and hope they avoid me.
Okay.... since it's late and I got started. If a hiker is afraid of bears, maybe they should put on their pack, go to the gym and get on a treadmill. Truth is, people are the ones who screw up the wilderness, kill the animals out of fear and then blame the animal. I've seen bears and even a mountain lion on hiking trails. They just don't want to kill you, they don't want to eat you, they don't want you period. So, next time you see a bear, wave a friendly "Thank You" to him for allowing you to walk, hike, climb, fish, cook, camp and occasionally crap in his woods. In all honesty, you're the trespasser. And as I've already told my friends, if a Mountain Lion or Bear eats me, leave 'em be...... I was in his home.
Oh crap, I know one of those lines in my last paragraph is gonna get some kind of response from Burchey.... !
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"
