FWIW, I've camped, hiked and picked huckleberries in a Grizzly habitat. Make
plenty of noise, stay together, carry pepper spray (stream variety rather
than spray variety - travels farther and is less vulnerable to wind. Test it
too so you don't discover it doesn't work while in the field), pay attention
to your surroundings and THINK SMART! Additional firepower is a personal
decision but you'd sure hate to not have it the one time you really needed
it. It also helps to not be wearing clothing that may have residual food
odors. All the bears I've encountered responded like big dogs. Honest.
They've always taken off like they're in trouble. Of course, they probably
weren't real hungry either. BTW, the really scary images of ferocious bears
are usually pretty Hollywood. I've always been more worried about cougars
than bears 'cause you might not hear them coming.

Always remember that animals are fairly predictable (instinct, you know)
whereas people can be very unpredictable.

Hope this helps someone enjoy the great outdoors a little bit more.

Greg
86 Westy Syncro