This scared me a good bit

[Smalls]

I guess there are some unreasonable men in the world, MG, cause I've seen more than a couple videos of guys not hauling off and shooting bears because they thought they were a "threat to human life".

Act with reasonable respect to wildlife, and there is a good chance you will be just fine. On the off chance that you do have a potentially dangerous encounter, act accordingly. Just be ready to face consequences.

I don't think anyone is going to blame someone for defending themselves, but the government isn't "anyone", and the bear is a protecting species. I'm not saying a bear's life should be valued over a man's life, but I think its very easy to claim self defense with no witnesses. And the way people shoot without identifying their target, its a great excuse when you kill one on accident.