They are until they aren't.
“They are until they aren’t.”
Up in Alaska they say that the Grizzlies will attack you if/when they think you are a threat to their food, and it is best to cover your head and neck and play dead if you can’t reasonably defend yourself.
Black bears mostly attack because they somehow think you are a threat to them, or they are just plain “mean”. And you should fight them as best you can but they probably won’t quit until either you or the bear is dead.
Cougars mostly attack because they mistake you for prey, and if you fight them (even punching them) they will often take off.
I imagine for all three, all bets are off with their cubs are around. This is just advice I’ve heard - and hope I never have to put it to the test. Most of the time they want to stay far away from humans.
“Black bears mostly attack because they somehow think you are a threat to them...”
I just finished reading the article. The father and son were bear hunting and the dad shot and wounded the bear. They then tracked it with the help of a neighbor’s dog. Somehow the dad got too close to the bear to get off any accurate shots, and the wounded bear attacked him.
“The bear was fighting for his life, and I was fighting for mine.” The dad seems to have a pretty clear understanding of things. He also said that was his last time hunting for bear!
Fangs? Really? Was the bear wearing a cape?