The bear will probably bite your head and tear at your groin region until it thinks you are no longer a threat. At that point, it will usually retreat. If you continue to move and show signs of resistance, the pain and injury will only be worse. While some pamphlets suggest fighting back against black bears, attack survivors who have tried this suffered far more severe wounds than those who remained motionless. The only exception is if you experience an unprovoked attack where the bear continues biting long after you assume a defensive posture.
Bears are intelligent, curious, intimidating and awe-inspiring.
Most importantly, bears are symbolic of wilderness. There is an intrinsic satisfaction in the knowledge that the forest one travels still sustains these large, lumbering omnivores which carry three times the biomass of a human. Knowing bears exist in an area is, perhaps, the most pronounced reminder that a wild place is still wild. By following the few preceding precautions, one can confidently avoid the fabled bad bear experiences that have lead to the extermination of these noble creatures from many wilderness areas throughout North America. Anytime you travel in bear country, you are venturing into their habitat.