Oh my goodness, what a drama queen.
Posted by Huck:
"...Oh my goodness [Blue Jays], what a drama queen..."
That is a very cute yet inane response to my narrative about my spouse and I encountering FOUR bears at the Delaware Water Gap while unarmed and far from the trailhead. We had not strayed from the marked footpath and were being careful to make sufficient noise when we chanced upon them.
My estimate of the mother bear we confronted was approximately 215-225 pounds. The three cubs were much smaller, probably 65-75 pounds. The fact-of-the-matter is that we inadvertently bisected one cub from an adult bear significantly larger, stronger, and faster than us. Any outdoor enthusiast worth his salt would tell you that is a disadvantageous situation in which to find oneself.
My sense is that you're either joking, or you've got anonymous Internet bravado regarding encounters with wild animals. Either way, I don't believe you're telling the entire truth about how you effortlessly handle bears without breaking a sweat. Otherwise more-pedestrian animal meetings, like a run-in with a couple of snarling Rottweilers must be a "Sunday picnic" for someone with your advanced skills...
Your point is taken about the likelihood of occasionally meeting animals in the woods. What you haven't acknowledged is that this ain't rural Montana, Alaska, or the Yukon. This is New Jersey, among the most densely-populated, anti-gun, anti-hunting states in the country. What are your thresholds for an "acceptable" number of bear-induced injuries with these factors in mind? What is your suggested plan for the bear population in general and the increasingly-common hostile encounters?
~ Blue Jays ~