They're thick up here, and every year you hear about people who came home to find one in their house, just tearing the place up. They do get bold, but mainly because people train them to expect food around houses (garbage bags and cans, bird feeders, pets, etc.) As said earlier, they're rarely a danger to people because they'll avoid contact if they possibly can. But I'd definitely recommend having a gun along "just in case." You'll more likely end up using it on a 2-legged rat than a bear.