Black bears are almost never hostile toward man. When they are, it's usually a campground situation.
"Almost" being the key term. And in those rare predatory interactions, from the accounts the ultimately predatory bear approached in a methodical, unhurried manner exactly like that one.
The most horrific account I have read is in Stephen Herrero's famous "Bear Attacks" book (thank you Kutenay) where a black bear up in Alaska casually approached a geological survey worker, knocked her over and then methodically stripped and ate most all the flesh off of the poor woman's upper arms, all the while holding her down with a paw on her chest.
Incredibly, she survived the attack, the bear driven off by the return of the helicopter that had dropped her off, it coming back in response to her distress calls on the radio during the attack.
I'll never look at a black bear the same way again
Ain't gonna keep me out of the woods of course, its just that, if possible, I'd like to have an equal vote with the bear as to how such encounters proceed...
Birdwatcher
