When you see it you'll understand the dilemma this guy is faced with.....

There's a video floating around recently here in the news, of a woman calmly taking a selfie while getting a bear-hug from a wild bear.

I would have panicked and got eaten. ?????ÿ

Regardless of what could have happened, that would had been an absolutely unbelievable experience

I know for many of you that live Outside as we call it, this seems death defying, but it's not. The animal is well aware of the people and well fed from the salmon and is only mildly curious. There's no sign of agitation on the bears part. Be very different if the animal was surprised or had cubs near by. I've has similar close encounters several times and never felt threatened. If you ever get the chance, visit Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park. Everyone has to go through an orientation with the rangers where they prepare you for close encounters like this. While visiting I had several very large brown bears walk within spitting distance and they never gave me a second glance. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. 

There are several live bear cams at the falls, don't know if they're up and running but they're a great time waster!

https://www.alaskacenters.gov/explore/attractions/multimedia/webcams/katmai-bear

@williwaw - That is a great link.  Thanks!

Ken

Uhhhh, no.?ÿ Have any of you seen the documentary Grizzly Man??ÿ Disturbing, and really shows these bears as calmly but very powerfully unpredictable.

Explore dot org has several live cams at Brooks Camp.

https://explore.org/livecams/currently-live/brown-bear-salmon-cam-lower-river

Notice the Remington 870 Marine sitting in front of that chair, just getting a little sun......he was definitely caught off guard, and hopefully had bear spray.... Because some big bears like a little spice with their din din

I use to take my kids up to Rainbow Lake near Buena Vista, CO for getaways in the summer.?ÿ One could rent a small cabin on the hillside at about 9500' msl and pull trout out of the lake all day long.?ÿ It's still a beautiful place to go.

The lake is a long skinny lake and at the time the opposite side of the lake was only accessible by row boat, which you could rent at the office.?ÿ But fishing the 'other' side of the lake came with a caveat.?ÿ It seems for years a bear kept watch and from time to time would lumber out of the woods and go straight for some hapless angler's stringer full of trout.?ÿ He apparently had been doing it long enough to wait and let the stringers first get full.

The old man that use to run the place had all sorts of stories about hypothermic fishermen huddled in the office with terror in their eyes.?ÿ The old bear had not once over the years acted aggressively toward humans.?ÿ All he wanted was his share of the trout.?ÿ And he would "dine" right there on the shore until he had his fill.

I only saw him once in 1986 from the opposite side of the lake.?ÿ I looked up when I heard someone screaming bloody murder from a distance.?ÿ Two angler's were rushing into 35 degree water convinced they were the next course on the menu.?ÿ Scared grown men can actually run really fast in water.?ÿ That time the bear took the stringer full of fish back to the cover of the tree line.?ÿ He was good sized for a Black Bear, so I'm guessing he had some years on him.?ÿ

And of course the out-of-town fishermen told the story of a "Grizzly" taking their fish.?ÿ Tourists seem convinced that the name "Black Bear" implies a fur color; it does not.?ÿ Most that I've seen are kind of auburn.?ÿ I've seen a few that looked a dirty sunburned blond.?ÿ I'm not sure there are even any Grizzlies in Colorado.

There was also a sign at the office that cautioned against throwing away fish cleanings in the trash can at your cabin.?ÿ The sign instructed guests to use the locking steel dumpster at the office...all the way down the hill.?ÿ?ÿBeing the way I am I decided once that rules were for the others but not me.?ÿ As I was frying up a skillet load of trout I thought I heard the kids playing with the trash can outside.?ÿ I stuck my head out the screen door to see a bear half buried in the trash can happily dining on fish guts.

I retreated quietly and let him finish.?ÿ It seemed like the proper thing to do. 😉