My former co-workers husband is a big fly fisherman and he frequents the streams in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and he had a couple of bear encounters that were interesting.
One trip he was walking in, not far from his truck and heard a noise to his left and looked and saw two small bear cubs and he immediately wondered, where is momma and he found out from a loud snort about thirty yards away to his right, he had come between her and the cubs. He slowly started walking backwards in the direction of his truck and momma never charged but ambled over toward the cubs. He made it to his truck and decided discretion was the better part of valor that day and went home.
Another day he was a good ways into the mountains heading towards a stream a buddy had told him about and it was hot and he stopped to rest and get a drink of water and leaned up against this ancient oak that was massive in size. He took a couple of drinks of water and put the bottle back in his pack and had one hand leaning on the tree catching his breath and he heard a noise on the other side of the tree and he thought, oh there’s another person here and he leaned forward and at the same time a large black bear leaned forward and they were just a few feet apart and both startled at finding the other was there. He said he about messed himself and started walking slowly away keeping the tree between them and the bear did the same thing in the other direction. He said he would deviate to the side for an angle a little while walking to see where the bear went and see the bear heading in the opposite direction.
I live in prime black bear country.
In non hunting situations I have had many close encounters with black bears.
Never had too shoot one but had to back a couple down.
I have travel back packed camped in grizzly country for the last 40 years . Seen a few didn’t have any trouble.
In hunting situations In shot black bears with rifles, shotguns and a couple calibers of handguns.
Proper calibers bullets and velocities well kill them just fine.