Advice about aggressive bears from Backpacker magazine

A Q&A in Backpacker magazine answers a reader’s question about what to do in the case of aggressive behavior from a mother bear.

The question came from Joe Whittle, whose bear encounter was recounted at his blog.

Here’s the gist of the advice:

Mother black bears rarely respond like mother grizzlies, which have a strong maternal protection instinct and likely would’ve attacked you in response to aggressive tactics in such a close encounter. Instead, black bears typically snort, stamp their feet, and bluff charge in an effort to scare you away—all of which you witnessed—but rarely attack. A return aggressive display on your part, followed by a calm exit, both reinforces a negative association with humans and allows both parties to escape without contact.