Mother bears with cubs are the wilderness wildcard. Really pretty much impossible to predict where you might encounter them after they first come out of hibernation. Later on in the year they are much more predictable as fish and plants return. One thing that is totally predictable is that the mother will take on the greatest of predators, man, to protect her cubs. Some people justify killing bears and other species because they are just dumb animals and have no feelings but the bears behavior in this case is no different than most human mothers and fathers. Maybe they are not so different after all and just want to live in peace and the dumb animal excuse is just a way to justify shooting them. The more we learn about our fellow travelers on planet earth the more we see ourselves in them all.