Why didn't the bear attack me?

[Brynjolfr]

I encountered a bear today. He was just a few steps away from me, but didn't attack. I ran away from it, and it was clearly following me (very slowly). I decided to shoot it. No reaction; it just stood there. About four shots and it dropped dead. I expected bears to be more aggressive. Could this be some kind of bug?

[The_Hawk35]

In general bears are pretty mellow, and VERY lazy. It's only when they feel threatened or are VERY hungry they attack people.

[Cosmoline]

It's realistic behavior. Usually the bears just do their own thing. Sometimes they get excited and bulldoze around. Sometimes they get aggressive. Sometimes they just attack. A fellow I know got mauled a few years back near Eagle River. he stumbled across a sow in early spring with cubs. He says he knew the second he saw her, he was going to get mauled. Tossed him around like a rag doll and scalped him, but left him alive. He's recovered thankfully. They don't seem to want to eat people unless they're extra hungry. And the black ones are more likely to be predatory I think.

They have pretty clear body language. The ones I've run across--mostly black ones--have just been curious or frightened. There's a lot of work left to be done on the game versions but I'm liking their unpredictability. Once I came around a corner on the Turnagain trail and ran smack dab into a mess of black bears. Two older cubs, two young ones and the sow. They sort of exploded into various directions, with one small cub coming straight at me! It was hilariously terrifying. I got the tail end of the sad affray on video--I can't say I'm proud of my reaction I could have stood my ground, but who wants to make the newspapers after getting mauled by a black bear *cub*?

[Brynjolfr]

But why didn't it react when I shot at it? It should either have attacked me or run away in fear.

[Cosmoline]

I suspect they'll fix that.

[Joopsie]

I just encountered my first bear tonight and killed it. I was quite surprised it didn't charge at me when I started shooting at it. Took about 4 rounds before he dropped dead. And I only got about 3kg worth of meat, 1 hide and 2 guts off him. I would've thought it be a whole lot more meat at least.