Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch is advising hikers, hunters, fisherman and persons that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related functions to take extra precautions while in the field.
We advise the outdoorsman to wear little noisy bells on clothing so as to give advance warning to any bears that might be close by so you won't take them by surprise.
We also advise anyone using the out of doors to carry "Pepper Spray" with him in case of an encounter with a bear.
Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces.
Black bear feces are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear feces has bells in it and smells like pepper.

that makes me think of something i read about the reason for the 357 mag pistol.it was originally created to use as self defense against polar bears for the people that would be working in Alaska that encountered polar bears often.well when they were being issued to these workers,one guy was handed his and told "you might want to take the front sight off of that 357",the guy replied "why would i wanna do that?"and the other guy replied "cause when that bear takes the gun from you and shoves it up your @$$,it won't hurt as much"