I’ve come across many bears while hiking/backpacking here in Arkansas. I’ve never had any trouble with them. On one car-camping trip, we had a large, older bear sneaking into camp in the middle of the night after everone went to bed, to see what it could find to eat. Notice the word sneaking. It obviously didn’t want anyone knowing it was around.
My advice is not not camp anywhere near the established campsites/shelters along the trail. The wildlife knows there’s plenty of easy food there, and consequently they show up and cause trouble. If you insist on camping in those places, consider carrying a few firecrackers/bottle rockets with you. I know that is perhaps illegal in some places, but if it will maybe teach the critters to be a little more cautious around humans and save their lives, then I think its a good thing.
Just my two cents worth.
Thx,
H.C.D.
Richard L.
