Survival and Emergency Preparedness

I am a Wildlife Biologist with 20 years professional experience in bear country (both black and grizzly) as of July 20th with a Master's Degree in Animal Behavior and my thesis was on black bear behavior. Also about 5 years experience guiding on wild pigs. There is probably no animal that has so much BS spread around than black bears:
1. Most FATAL bear attacks involve sub-adult, male black bears. These attacks are predatory and usually come from behind in an ambush.
2. Female black bears with cubs are not as dangerous as people think. Several times I have been between a sow and her cubs. In one case, she was eating rose hips and didn't even look up when one of the cubs started bawling. My one charge was made by a 2 year old male black bear.
3. Female grizzlies WILL protect their cubs The reason is that grizzlies evolved in open land (prairies) and were pushed into forested high country. Natural selection is really economics=cost versus reward. In open country natural selection would favor aggressive moms (no trees for the cubs). Black bears evolved in forests and selection favored moms who sent cubs up trees.
4. Grizzly bears want to eliminate the threat as soon as possible!=That's why you play dead! Black bears may look at you as lunch=so fight back. But, remember that meat's meat to a bear!
5. Spray versus firearms: The jury is back! Spray has been proven to be 97% effective (and only ONE fatality) on all three species of North American bears (not enough data on Asian bears to make a definite conclusion but early data shows the same trend). This is gleaned from State and National Parks in Canada and the US, Danish Sirius patrols, and Forest workers (originally 1000 cases, now over 2000). Firearms have been shown to be only 62% effective with several deaths. I asked an acquaintance with Canadian Forest Service what was the single most common thing reported on fatal Canadian bear attacks. He answered "They all had loaded rifles on their shoulders!"

I carry a shotgun if I carry a long gun (i.e.: in Canada) If I carry a handgun, it will be a Ruger 45 Blackhawk (heavy cast loads), My custom SBH in 454 or a Glock 20 (what the Sirius Patrol carries). But spray is my #1 defense.