Spent alot of years guiding and dealing with bears in Alaska. VERY common to have browns within feet of you during salmon season. Come across many dead bear that had been shot by folks. When you retrace the steps, most times the bear wasn' t within 50 feet of them. People freak for some reason when it comes to bears. yes they have attacked a few, but generally as a rule, their more afraid of you . We use to tell our clients that if attacked by a griz, play dead. He' ll hurt you but rarely kill you unless your head gets in his mouth. They like to let you " season" some before eating. If you get attacked by a black bear, fight for your life cuz he' ll kill you everytime. RULE OF THUMB " if" you see the bears ears are laid back, then get ready cuz he' s coming. If ears are in normal position, rarely have anything to worry about. Taz