The problem with going by colour is that sometimes black bears are brownish and sometimes brown bears/grizzly bears look almost black.
If you want to figure out for sure what sort of bear is chasing you, climb a tree. A black bear will climb after you and a grizzly bear will just topple the tree.
I think the bear-psych advice ignores an important factor at play here:
We’ve all seen the reports, most of them baffling, of what Florida Man is capable of. The only safe assumption is that Florida Bear is completely unpredictable; and completely unpredictable at inhuman speed if it has access to meth.
You’d think the owner would train the labs to come in all-at-once rather than one-at-a-time.
go full-on BRIAN BLESSED !!!
That bear is lucky that pupper let him run away from the house. Dachshunds scoot right under and attack their bellies.
Acutally, the color is only part of the issue. Black bears aren’t necessarily black, but they are significantly smaller than brown/grizzly bears. Black bears are only found on the east coast of North America, and brown bears/grizzly bears are in the Rocky Mountains (all the way up to Alaska). They live in very separate areas of the continent. For the most part (i.e., there are no bear cubs around), black bears don’t want to mess with humans directly – they scare pretty easily. Brown/Grizzly bears on the other hand, are not likely to be scared of you or anything else. They are beautiful animals, and I consider myself to be lucky to have observed one in Glacier Park (from a very safe distance).
If you can help it, don’t mess with ANY bear – they’re all bigger, stronger and faster than we are. And if you really want to ignore this advice and run away, just make sure you’re faster than the person with whom you’re running 
This is not true. Nearly everywhere with grizzly bears has black bears too.
I went searching for that race to the door from the neighbours dogs
from some weeks ago…
Well, if you consider Ontario to be the east coast. I’ve seen plenty here. But the black bear I saw on Haida Gwaii was probably just a tourist.
But in that case, not from NYC or Long Island.
According to this, I live in a No Bear Population zone!
Thanks for the graphic. I was scratching my head because I know that we have black bears in CA, many in LA County. They really like @Otherbrother’s neighborhood.
Don’t be too sure.
Well, this just proves that no one has seen one in your area and lived to report it. 
I know that black bears have been seen as far south as within 50 miles of Indiana, so the khaki green shading in Michigan needs to come down a lot further.
What about Pluto? [runs]
I was in error. I stand corrected. Thank you.
Remember: You don’t have to outrun the bear, you only have to outrun your dog.
#notallbears
