During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, black bears inhabited the eastern woodlands and grizzly bears inhabited the western mountains in numbers nearly as great as those of the Indians themselves. Certainly they could be counted upon to do at least as much damage to an Indian fighter as any brave could. And adding to the mystique and horror of a bear attack was the understanding that the bear would usually eat its victim and, in most cases, do so while the person was still alive and screaming.

Lords of the Forest

Black bears have not changed in the last two hundred years. Then as now, they generally weighed four to five hundred pounds and stood six feet tall when reared on their hind legs. With a swipe of a paw, a black bear can render a man unconscious and be devouring him...