Shrew, you are the man! If I had a blackie trying to pull me out of a tree, my pants would sure smell. You must be crazy! I got a Outdoor Life book that is full of bear attacking stories. Some of the stories makes you not want to go in the woods. You sound like my brother who lives in your neighboring state (VA). He loves black bears. He has had a number of walkin's with black bears. He likes to hike and runs accross them on the trails. He likes to see how close they can get before spotting him. Crazy!! The other night he saw one out his back window; said it was the biggest black bear he has ever seen.