Not sure how accurate this info is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America Encounters have sure picked up in the last 10 years...not sure if that's just better tracking/reporting...or more bears...or dumber people...
Huck definitely has a point... if it's your time, it's your time. However, by the same token, if it's my time I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it's my time. In the grizzly woods, I'll pack heat. Kinda like insurance, hope you never have to make a claim, but even worse to be caught without it.
When in bear country the best protection when hiking around is to always carry some "Pepper Spray" and also to wear little noisy bells to alert any nearby bears so that they aren't surprised by your presence. Also its advisable to be able to tell the difference between Black bear crap and Brown/Grizzly bear crap. Black bear crap is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel/rodent fur in it. Grizzly bear crap has little bells in it and smells like pepper.
I didn't read the replies. But, here's my staple answer..... If it's legal (and you want to)...there is NEVER a bad time to carry.
All you would need to do is hold your hands over your head and any Grizzly in their right mind would run! >>>BAM<<<
