That's pretty much the advice for hikers confronting a bear. Show your numbers, spread your jackets to make yourself look bigger, talk to them as one backs off, etc. They can't count supposedly, but they don't seem to like being confronted by multiples. It is seldom when a group of several people are attacked, tho they may be bluff charged and huffed at.
Of course, when surprised at close range, or protecting cubs, mates or a kill site, all bets are off.
A few years ago in my moose hunting area on the Kenai, a spring survey crew tangled with a denned brown bear - big one too.. The first one or two crew walked within 15 feet of the den unknowingly before the bear panicked, erupted out of the den, and on the fly chomped the closest man's head,who was on his escape route, killing him, and left at a dead run. F&G was able to track the bear for about 5 miles before losing the trail. It was still running flat out by the tracks.
As I recall, Great Falls was a hotspot for trouble with the bears for L&C, mostly because of the buffalo that got killed going over the falls. Mucho food - mucho aggressive bears! Of course, shooting ball thru a single-shot ML wasn't all that much help either! I don't recall offhand if percussion caps had been invented/in use as of that time. Either way it puckers me just thinking about tackling a griz with the equipment they had. Brave men.
Sam- you might be surprised at how well properly educated bears can coexist with humans. I will stipulate that neighbors that feed their dogs outside, keep chickens, etc without an electric fence, hang bloody moose parts in a shed that has been used for years for same, etc. have more problems than I do. And I do hang my moose parts outside for a few days before processing, but try to avoid as much drippings contamination as possible - had no problem yet - except with that stinky head....
I do have a garage there now - all I need is a few moose parts! I have semi-plans for an add-on cement block meat-hanging shed.
Once a bear finds food (or learns to kill livestock) in a certain place, usually the only cure for deterrence of that bear thereafter is killing it.
Food (exclusive of livestock!), water, shelter, space. Much of western Plains has enough of all of those for bear. There WILL be undesirable bear/livestock interactions, but I believe much of that country can support a limeded bear population.
When I left ND in late 60's there had been a few poo-pooed "unconfirmed" reports of cougar here and there. People -mostly livestock owners and deer hunters- swore there was no way lion would ever inhabit the area again as there was no "room" for them. ND now has a permanent population with permit season on them, without much conflict elsewhere.
