so, all those articles i read about making noise in the woods were probably WRITTEN BY THE DAMN GRIZZLY BEARS!!!
man, them critters is sure TRICKY!!
Probably ;~D
Truth is... The advice to make noise IS sound advice in black bear country. Black bears are mostly herbavores and scavengers without great vision at distance, and would flee contact with people if they hear you coming. I've happened upon black bears twice riding my horse in the woods of Washington state. I don't like that... I do try to make noise when riding through really thick areas when berries are ripe, because bears use the same trails I do to get around, there berry poop is all over the trail, and I don't want to surprise one... Or surprise my horse by seeing one! I have a friend who can sing... I don't mind when she sings on trail.
The key is to make an important distinction between black bears and brown/grizzly bears. Making noise does not help you where grizzlies, cougar or other stalking predators are concerned. The full bell joke is "Outdoorsmen should be able to recognize the difference between black bear poop and grizzly bear poop: Black bear poop is small, contains lots of berries. Grizzly bear poop is large, has little bells in it, and smells like pepper."
I'm told I'll never see a cougar, they'll always be behind me. Not a comforting thought ;~D
I think it depends on the bear. Where I live it is black bear and supposedly they will take advantage of leaving if given the opportunity. That is the kind I ran into, it was eating beside the trail. When I made some noise, he looked at me and ran. When I lived in Colorado, I used to mountain bike in the back country. There were always mountain lion warnings and tips on what to do if confronted by one. I have heard of when the tips worked and when they didn't. One time, some dumb people let their 3 year old walk far enough ahead of them that they couldn't see him on the trail while carrying a bag of granola. It didn't end well. The girls in Alaska said that whistling sounds like marmots, which are tasty for bears...