So over on TikTok a woman posed the question as a woman would you rather happen upon a bear or a man while hiking in the woods. By a huge margin women are picking bear. It really says something about where we are in society. As a Dad of two daughters I can definitely understand why.
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Black bears are so shy that it’s unlikely you’d ever come across one! Our cabin is in an area with a lot of beech trees. Bears love beech nuts. Our neighbor, a registered Maine guide, asked permission to hunt bears on our property and we said OK. We see lots of bear scat around. And you know how many bears we’ve sighted in 34 years? Zero. And if we happened to see one, it would most likely run away. So yes, I would pick a black bear over a strange man. Grizzlies are a different matter!
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I try not to indulge the clinically paranoid. While not zero, the number of hikers randomly killed by bears or strangers is tiny, but the number who get themselves into trouble as lost, dehydrated, hypothermia, injured in a fall, etc, is not. Worry about real risks.
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I’m an avid walker and until recent health issues, a runner. I do stick to well populated neighborhoods if I’m alone. But the fear of men is real. In my prior “safe” suburban area I avoided the more secluded paved paths as there were multiple incidents of women being groped/followed etc. It is a real risk.
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Sensible precautions are always good, but the fact remains most men are not rapists, most bears are not human killers, and there are better safety precautions to take.
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Yes, driving is probably the biggest risk we face.
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Of course, I would choose the bear. Most likely, the bear would run away from me, assuming it was a black bear.
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You know what they say: If it’s black, fight back. If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s white, say goodnight.
Definitely a bear over a man.
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I mean…what if he’s lost, single, and hot? 
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As part of their elementary school education, my daughters were taught trail safety which included what to do if they encountered a bear or a mountain lion. Not all men are rapists but encountering a strange or threatening man in the forest would be more terrifying for them. It’s a real risk here. Our area is a mecca for transients and van life people; there is an area of the national forest people avoid because of homeless encampments. Harassment/groping on trails happens too.
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I walk some secluded woods trails and often come across female hikers. I sometimes feel bad for them as they obviously don’t know me and probably wonder about what could happen.
Last year a lady was murdered on a very popular local trail. Fortunately that is an extremely rare occurrence. The guy responsible is still out there though.
It certainly pays for anyone to be aware of their surroundings and be as prepared as you can for a problem.
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I realize that coming upon a bear is going to be incredibly rare, but the one time I did (Alaska), I froze in place and the bear left. The times I’ve felt unsafe or really WAS unsafe around a man are numerous - starting when I was 10. Many, many times.
On a regular basis I carry my keys in a way to be able to scratch or claw if needed. On a regular basis I find men leering or saying inappropriate things. On a regular basis I support my adult D carrying pepper spray. On a regular basis I talk with my adult nieces about being safe in a nightclub and keeping an eye on their drinks…and it’s not for bears!
On a regular basis I personally think men are more dangerous to women than bears!
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I’m probably an outlier here…but we’re all entitled to our opinions. I’m not well versed in bears and thinking I would freeze up and be scared to death if I encountered one. I live near the forest and have many times encountered coyotes which also put a lot of fear in me! I am probably a bit naive but the men in my life are really good people and I really dislike all this man hating.
And, I have been pickpocketed twice and both times I chased down/confronted those men and not only got my stuff back but gave them a piece of my mind. Both instances were many years ago, before people carried guns but when my instincts kicked in that’s what I did.
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It depends:
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How close are other people to us in the woods? Are there other folks along the trail within a few minutes ahead or behind, or is it virtual isolation? If there are other folks in the vicinity, I’d rather meet a human male than a bear.
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How close are we to civilization (i.e. people who can hear yells/screams and either provide help or get EMTs to arrive)? If I’d be likely to bleed to death from a bear attack (grizzly/polar) before help could arrive, then I’d rather meet a human male.
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Is the female likely to be faster than the male? If it’s a 400-lb human male or a 400-lb male bear, I’d rather meet the human, as I’d probably be faster than him.
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I’m familiar with that species as it is indigenous to my area: Peter Pan. Avoid at all costs. 
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This happened to the wife of a Facebook friend in October. A quiet trail in the woods in Vermont. Gave me pause. They never caught her murderer. I feel so sorry for my friend - he lost one son to schizophrenia years ago, and his other son has the illness.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/us/honoree-fleming-castleton-vermont-killing/index.html
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I would choose a bear rather than a man. I have encountered bears and men and mountain lions. I have not encountered grizzlies. They scare me. (If you would have asked me before we moved to the mountain west I would have said man.)
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It is no wonder we live in a time of sky-high anxiety levels and related mental illness. If people are really worried about being killed by bears or strangers on hiking trails, that is an extraordinarily small risk which is easily managed-avoid a trail, hike in groups, take bear spray, whatever. Perspective about the actual level of risk is helpful.
Yes, bad things can happen. Some people will indeed be struck by lightning this year ( more than those killed by bears or random hikers).
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And we wonder why young men are struggling.
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I will pick the bear every time. I’m well schooled in how to deal with bears while hiking and have encountered them. In 99.99% of the cases they want nothing to do with you. Throughout my life I have had countless encounters with men that were unpleasant and frightening - on public transportation, work and city streets as a teen and on local running trails as an adult. I would never hike alone.
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