As .300H&H said... I fell into the 'wimpy black bear' mentality in Florida.
Last year I spent 32 days straight, with every spare moment scouting for the upcoming whitetail hunt.
Having seen 14 ragged and weak looking bears in 3 days, that all ran away from me... I dropped my guard a bit.
The next weekend, I was charged by a 300-400lb mother protecting her cub. The only thing that saved me was the cub squeaking out a strange grunt, which stopped the mother. There were about 50 yards between us, and she covered at least 40 before the cub turned her around. Even if she had kept coming; my only weapon was a 2" pocket knife. It was illegal to carry a weapon in the area outside of a hunting season.
A week later, the same female charged my truck while I crossed the stream I had been walking to the first time.
One month after seeing the 14 bears in 3 days, my count was up to 39 bear sightings.
Deer season was now open. Same stream, same place, same bear. Heavy rains had changed the flow of the stream, and created a washed out bank. I stopped, looked around for the bear and cub, figured it was clear, left the truck running, and got out to check the stream for crossing options. Everything looked good... I decided to look around for deer tracks, and got cornered. Against the locked passenger door of my truck, 15 feet from the mother (hiding in some scrub), 5 feet from the stream, and no weapon.
My 9mm was in the driver's door pocket with 10 rounds in the magazine. My 8x57 Mauser was on the passenger seat with 4 rounds in the magazine. All of my knives were in the truck.
This bear WAS going to charge me. She had done it before. She would do it again. I didn't think I could make it around the truck faster than her, so I did something stupid. Dumbest thing I've ever done... I picked up a big muddy stick and charged the bear.
She and the cub took off into the woods. I cleaned my shorts, drove straight home, and called the manager of the WMA I was on - to report the sighting again.
Had the passenger door been unlocked... I would have fired until the threat was neutralised. I would have felt terrible for the cub, but it was me or her.
I learned these things as a kid, and this reinforced them again.
Never get out of the vehicle without a weapon. (preferably a high-speed lead injector)
Animals are unpredicable. (she let me pull up in the truck, 15 feet from her!)
If you know there is a bear in the area, don't go back. (game animals are probably staying away from the area, anyway)
Even having been charged by the same bear three times... I am still leary of these stories of others being charged. I know some are true, but... I always have to wonder if it was simply human fear that lead to firing, and killing the animal; with the story coming later. I was terrified the second I saw 'my' mother 50 yards away.
38 ran away from me. Only 1 charged. It works out to <3%, in my experience. (Though I understand it doesn't apply to everyone.)
Black Bears get talked about sometimes as if they're wimpy little things. I guess it's because they are always compared to the big Brownies. Yet, if you've ever encountered a big ol' Black Bear, it's not unlike a street encounter with a big ol' Rottweiller - can be kinda scarey. They can look at you in a way that suggests they truely know you are the smaller, slower, weaker creature. It's their territory and they're to be respected. I would never want to shoot one unless it was a life or death situation. When I was a child I had a young black bear chase me - scared me to death - but it was because people were feeding the bears...and the bear was just being 'playful.' Looks like the mushroom picker didn't have much choice. Sounds like he was encroaching on the 400lb.'ers territory...and/or the bear was under survival stress ie. needing food...