flare gun might not be the best idea, especially during the dry season :)<br><br>Like chris said, i have had several bear encounters, none to serious (thank god) but all very nerve racking.<br><br>lol, Eating beef jerky on a trail relaxing after 8 hour hike is NEVER a good idea. Black bear come's out of bushes near trail, im not aware but did hear noise, shrugged off as hiker, 20-30 seconds later i hear a god aweful grunt, AHH!! BEAR!! DAD!? DAD!! where r u!? mean while i have my SP101 drawn and lighned up on his front right shoulder, then i remembered the weekend before seeing a mama bear and 2 cubs, not going to shoot unless need be. picked up dropped beef jerky with one eye on bear and put it in my pack, retreated slowly, walking backwards, never taking eyes off bear. he walked over to where i was sitting, sniffed around and left. huge relief, but still paranoid. <br><br>Camping with my dad and sister at a "car camping" area, nothing to really be considered camping, but it was fun. That night it was a full moon, very nicley lit, shadows of the pine tree on the tent sorta put me in a good mood, assuring me i was in the wilderness. i wake up to a noise that sounds like my sister tossing and turing in her mummy bag, but i see my dads arm extended out and above me, 3 glowing dots, first thing that registered in my head was the Glock, and a person snooping around. looked over at what he was aiming at, and i seen this HUUUUUGGEE shadow of a paw scratching at our tent. im in arizona, no grizzly here, but man this paw was HUGE. i looked at my sister and i was gunna tell her she was gonna be ok, she was sound asleep tho! thank god! she woulda FREAKED! ( She is mentaly retarded, hard to keep her under control in situations like this, expecially she not seeing me as an "authorative" figure) <br><br>My dad got out of the tent and screamed "YAW BEAR!. YAW YAW!" i hear the bear running off.<br><br>sister never woke up!<br><br>another encounter was on a trail, this biker comes flying down the trail like he was in a race or something. He stops to tell us that he saw what he thought was a big black blob sliding down a tree, and that he thought it was a bear but he wasnt sure. he was old, and scared, so we didnt think much of it. come around the corner and sure enough, a bear was sliding off the tree (already at base). he saw us and stood up on his hind legs. no grunts, no roars, just curious. he had a big patch of grey fur on his chest (which at the time i thought was the funniest thing in the world), but no other markings. He looked at us for about 1 minute then got on all fours and started to aproach us, very cautiously, so (as my dad had his gun drawn) we slowly retreated and after he was out of site we turned around and camped further down the trail.<br><br>i could go on and on, but i forgot what the post was about!<br><br>Bears can without a doubt out run a human, but im sure you already know that as your post i sensed some sarcasam and humor "its up to debate, fear factor" and what not, i laughed.<br><br>it all depends on the situation, if the bear pays no attention to you, but knows of your presence, retreat, but make it graceful.<br><br>i wouldnt recomend dropping your pack to make a run, as playing dead your pack would come in handy (thats just alot more layers of "flesh" he has to get through ) as long as you lay on your chest, or the recently menchined fetal position.<br><br>Bears shouldnt be to much of a worrie tho. like he said, bears are omnivorous, not carnivorous. a healthy animal as a food source for a bear is not likley. its to much work for a single bear to hunt. they prefer to "scavange", fish, or eat barries and what not.<br><br>Thats why animals like wolfs and tigers hunt in packs, because its alot of work to take down a healthy animal.<br><br>bears are, in a sense, lazy and solo. just be smart in bear country! you'll be fine.<br><br>i will have to upload some pictures of some bears i video tape some time.<br>