I live in PA just about 1/2 hour from that area and we have bears that live in our development. Two people were attacked in our neighborhood, both incidents instigated by the victims' dogs. This fella was nuts to get near the dog while it was facing off a mother bear with cubs right there. And anyone who keeps garbage in their porch (as did the family Tuesday) is begging for bear to visit that porch especially since bear had already gotten into their garbage before. They were really careless to let the child out there alone.
It's pretty simple living with bears in the area if you just act carefully, never feed them or leave food where they can access it.
It's pretty simple living with bears in the area if you just act carefully, never feed them or leave food where they can access it.My brother lives in an area in Northern Wisconsin which has a high population of bears. He follows your advise, but he also never leaves the house without a gun. Of course, its the two legged predators which are more likely to be a problem, but there are very few cases of black bear attack which could not have been easily solved by the use of a firearm.
When I am visiting, I always have a gun handy as well. Like a fire extinguisher, you may not need it, but when you do, you really, really need it.