Never try to be stealthy and quiet in bear country. The more induced racket the better. You want mamma bear to hear you a mile off. If mamma scents you but never heard you, it’s trouble. She thinks you are stalking her cubs.
You’re exactly right. And never get between the mamma and her babies.
Me and my brother were on an old logging road and saw some berries to pick. Just as I got out of the pickup I saw two cubs. I told him to “get in, there’s two cubs” The mamma was behind us. We were between her and the babies. She snorted and huffed and went right to them and they disappeared. Another minute or two would have been bad.