Bear Population; http://hopamerica.com/u-s-black-bear-population-by-state/
The numbers have gone up since 2011.
We see bears occasionally when riding. I am only concerned if there are cubs.
I was conditioning my horse one day in the woods and he kept looking to the side. There was an adult bear paralleling us in the woods about 50 yards away.
I see them so frequently it doesn’t bother me (nor my horses) at all. However, two weeks ago I hopped off my horse to check some sign, and when I looked up, a black bear was shambling toward us at 30 yards! He was grazing and didn’t see me. For a moment I had an impulse to throw myself onto my dog to keep him from barking at it, but before I knew it self-preservation kicked in and I was back in the saddle (and feeling much more confident!). My mare flicked an ear and continued grazing, my dog sat quietly where I told him, and the 4 y/o mare I was ponying watched him without anxiety. Finally, when a conflict seemed unavoidable, I said “hey bear” quietly and he about fell over himself to get out of there.
I was once charged by a black bear on horseback, full on roaring and clawing and all! That was momentarily quite frightening, but it was only because we ran point-blank into one another in thick, low pines. Once he saw there were 3 of us on horses, he high-tailed it out of there instead of eating me. In my experience, any time you shout they take off, so it sure it curious that it came toward you!
