He said he's heard of more encounters with bears, and the increase seems to coincide with the fact that there was no spring bear hunt. "[Hunting] does help keep the bear numbers down because the bear has no enemies … so they just keep multiplying unless they're harvested," he said. But Smith isn't the only person who has heard reports of increased bear activity. If you see a bear, don't runOne thing both Smith and Driediger agree on is what to do if you meet a bear. "I deal with the bear by being bigger than the bear or at least try to make the bear feel that I'm bigger than it is," he said.

Source: CBC News July 12, 2020 15:00 UTC