Well rare or not it is still very disconcerting to have one snuffling mere inches from your arm with only some tent material between you. Trust me on this one, it will cause the hair on the back of your neck to rise.

In herreros book he describes a woman biologist alone and in the wild who was accosted by a black bear. The bear ate both her arms while she watched. Yes, gruesome. Fortunately she was able to get a message off with her one good arm before it was devoured. Fortunately help arrived. Unfortunately she lost both arms.

In Kesselheims book "Water and Sky" he has quite the time with bears and had to in fact kill one when it proved extra persistent on a portage trail.

There are lots of things in life that are statistically rare. It doesn't mean that I should dismiss them as a non-issue.