I was typing a response earlier when a transformer down the street blew up and we lost power.
I have photographed or been around bears in Alaska, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Black bears are much more wary. They have a lot to be afraid of. They're kind of the whitetail deer of the bear world. . . sorta. They can still kill you better and faster than a whitetail deer. I was motoring around an island in Southeast Alaska with a friend and colleague looking for bears. We would find sows on the beeches teaching their cubs to turn over rocks, looking for crabs to eat. We put in at a creek as the tide was going out. We tied up the boat and then push it out as far as we can so we don't wind up with our boat way up the beech when we want to leave. We were wearing rubber waders and waded up the creek in the tide water, crossed over and sat down with some cover behind us. Soon a young sow with twins approaches the creek to cross near us. She sniffed at out trail where we had waded when it was under water, sat up, made some sound in bear language, and was off at a dead run the other direction. The cubs were curious about what made mom run and looked back. Mom said something else in bear language and the cubs obeyed immediately. On the other hand, I've had brown bears or grizzlies almost pose as if they really didn't care I was there.
The Great Smokies bear is a young one. His ears look pretty big compared to the size of his skull. Wildlight's bear is older.