I agree attacking a bear is stupid (I've done that once, very early on to see if it was a stupid idea and received the answer that yes, it is a stupid idea, so I've never done it since, although characters have been attacked by bears as I've tried to avoid a fight. Bears caught in traps are killed with thrown rocks), but getting attacked is bad luck.
Hm, come to think of it, I actually HAVE attacked a bear with my latest character: I thought closing the door and firing at it through the window would be safe, but I found out bears can open doors (not smash it: open it). Luckily, neither my character nor dog received a scratch, possibly because the arrows had injured it so it kept missing.