Is 2022 the Year of the Black Bear in Connecticut?

I know it's going to happen one of these days, I'm so close, and they're all around me. I've never seen a black bear out in the wild, but I almost did this morning.

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I was sitting on my couch at 6:30 AM, when I heard my wife frantically knocking on our slider. "Holy poop! Open the fudging door! There's a fudging bear out here!" I was in my robe, but I walked out barefoot trying to catch a glimpse of the big fella. Nope, it was already gone. It scared the hell out of her, as she was walking our precious 5 pound Chihuahua RayRay when she saw it lumbering nearby.

We've lived in Torrington for a couple of months, on the Naugatuck River in the south end of town. 3 months in Torrington and Mrs. Large has seen a bear. I lived in Waterbury for 52 years and I've never seen one. And right now, one of my co-workers Joe LaRocca just called to say that a black bear just ran across Rt. 7 by Exit 11 in Brookfield. What the hell? Is 2022 the Year of the Black Bear here in Connecticut?

My heart sank when I read the awful news about the off-duty Ridgefield Police Officer and Bobbi the Bear in Newtown. I'm dying for the details about the incident to be released, initially my sympathy went out to the two poor orphaned cubs, but now, after this morning, I feel for the officer who had to draw his weapon. What if Bobbi was aggressive because she felt that her cubs were being threatened?

When I saw how frightened my wife was this morning, it really made me think how unequipped humans are against claws and fangs powered by a 300 pound wild animal. I've never been close to a wild bear outside, so I really don't know how I'd react. According to the National Park Service, if you encounter a bear outside you should: Stay calm, don't run, don't go up a tree, and leave the area slowly by moving away sideways.