NS,
Some people will use the analogy that an encounter/conflict/attack is as rare as winning the "6/49". Well, there sure seems to be plenty of winners lately.
If you are new to these parts, you should take very seriously the possibility of a bear encounter of some kind eventually if you spend time in the outdoors. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on the subject of human/bear conflict and just learning as much as you can about bears and their behaviour. There are a multitude of resources available to you. Books, government and parks material, etc.
Here is a link that I think can get you started. It is important to read the pdf within this web page. They seem to have things down pat in the Yukon.
http://www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.c...bearsafety.php