In case readers here are unaware, bear attacks are very rare in North America [1]. You might be more likely to die in a car accident involving a deer on the wa

In case readers here are unaware, bear attacks are very rare in North America [1]. You might be more likely to die in a car accident involving a deer on the way to/from your outing, than to be killed by a bear during your outing. Most knowledgeable folk believe that the best preventative care for bears is educated avoidance, and educating oneself on how to safely handle an encounter [3]. The takeaway from these statistics is not to say that one should be blissfully carefree. Rather, that one should be respectfully educated and pragmatic. It's their territory that we're traversing through, after all. The onus is on us. It's good to seek mitigations, but it's not healthy to be so afraid. Education is a good antidote to fear! :) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#2020s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_in_2020 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_t... [3]: http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/animals-bears.html http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/animals-bears.html