Others are small. Some flee at any hint of human activity. Others can tolerate noise and congestion. Decades of observation by dozens of naturalists have shown bears to be very dependent on their noses for survival, and the parameters of natural selection are much narrower in the wilds than in civilization. In this regard, bears are like some dogs, which see as much with their noses as their eyes.
Bears see as much with their noses as they do with their eyes.
I own a Labrador retriever who comes in the house and inspects the kitchen counters with his nose. He can walk along there and scan for food just as thoroughly as if his eyes were mounted on periscopes. It never was particularly good, and it has grown worse with age. On fall mornings during the waterfowl season, when Arlo is sleeping soundly, I must shake him awake. That's easier than yelling loud enough to be heard.