correct. a man on the other side of a clearing is a more dangerous threat to you, a hiker, regardless of your gender, than a bear. nothing about this ever said that the bear or the man was directly in your close personal space. it was always just "you encounter a bear outside"
that's what people keep saying. i don't know why you're so hung up on these details you added to the scenario that were never there in the first place
women saying they don't by default feel safe around men and feel more equipped to deal with a bear is a reflection of rape culture and bears being predictable, not a preference for being attacked by a bear