In my experience, You are correct! I’ve spent many weeks on the Yukon River alone in each of the past seven years.
I’m always armed to the teeth for bears AND humans but the bears have left me completely alone despite hundreds of hours of me being in their backyard.
Last year, I finally saw three of the little critters about a mile off. I put my binoculars on them and got a good look at them. But, when we got about a half mile off, they took off into the woods.
So, YES you have to be careful. But, I’ve slept alone on a Yukon River bank many, many nights and I’ve not been bothered by them. By the way, the Fish and Game folks in Alaska quote that there are 17,000 bears in the Yukon watershed in Alaska.
I’ve had a few encounters here in Montana, both black and grizzly, but they always run off when we make a lot of noise. Folks I know who were attacked always happens when they surprise a sow with cubs.
I recentlly got a “Bear Banger” gizmo. Haven’t tried it but looks like it would do the trick.
Did you sense a threat from humans on your Alaska trips?
You referenced it a bit in your post.
I took the fiancé there a few years back; we drove all over, and I got the definite sense that the state was populated with a lot of white trash folks who did not necessarily possess my law-abiding values.
A few times our spider senses tingled overtly because of rough dudes.