Originally Posted by UPHunter08

It's incredibly rare to have a bear, wolf, whatever attack a human somewhere like MI (unlike Alaska, etc), so I feel no need to carry a firearm for 'protection'. If it makes you feel more comfortable, then go for it, but really, it's unnecessary from a logical point of view. Perhaps it's also because I work in the woods in addition to playing outside, so I've likely experienced more encounters with other predators than many people. One of the wildlife biologists I work with routinely encounters bears on purpose, and never has a problem with them. Personally, I'm more concerned with the people I run into in the woods than the animals!

Re: the guy in this incident....I'd like to know what he was doing prior to the bears climbing the tree. IMO had he made some noise and moved around when he first saw them, they'd have left the area and never climbed the tree in the first place. Unless you're in an area where bears associate people with food (e.g. some of the state parks, etc) bears quickly flee from people in my experience. The ones that don't are typically the first to be harvested each hunting season...

Actually, that's the wrong reaction. If you make noise and let them know you're there, they're almost certain to run away. I've been in that situation and that's how they have reacted (had them within 15 feet of me on occasion)...