Just kinda thinking out loud in this video, and a little experiment. I really do believe that black bears have much better vision than people give them credit for.

1ve had bear spot me 400 yards away.
They can see just fine.

I like the video and discussion. Like yourself I have hunted bears fora long time and agree with your assessment. Different animal different reactions, many bears look right at you and respond or don't. It is like Trapper Art said, catching a wolf is easy their the alpha, dominant, catching a coyote is more difficult and jumps at everything and is on edge. Same with deer vs bear.

They do look right into your stand to see if you're sitting there...and the dominant ones come in anyway.

Yep, have had several guys up in Ontario hunt the same stands and a stand smart or wounded previously bear, looks at that stand and leaves, switch it up move the hunter and have an empty stand, have had that bear come in look at the old stand, now empty, and the bear walks right into the bait.

I think they have excellent panoramic vision but from what I’ve read they struggle seeing in low light conditions but have excellent night vision. I’ve had the same experiences with the bears looking right up at you in stand but not certain if they see me or smell me.

Bears can spot movement.Other than that their eyesight is poor.
I have stalked many bears in open clearcuts and old burns,their smell and hearing is much more acute than their eyesight.
When stalking if you crack a dry stick or dont have the wind they will be gone in a second.
However when they look up from grazing, if you freeze,they go back to grazing and you can continue your stalk.

Bears don't "need" to use their eyes as much as other animals but I think they can see just as well as a deer.

There hasn't been to many bears that haven't looked right at me when they come into a bait. Most don't seem to care to much. Unlike a deer.

Two totally different types of vision. One panoramic and one designed for depth. Not sure which is more acute, but deer are sure more jumpy when it comes to movement in my experience. I know a bear can pick a blueberry by the hundred without wrecking the bush. They must have spectacular close vision.

Hunting bear over bait to me is different. Especially if the stand has been hunted alot. Bears have come to looking for something in the stand.
Bear that I hunt hear often from the ground without bait as it’s not legal almost never see me. While deer often do and bolt.
It could be the alpha status of bear here not being alarmed as much as deer. However, when they look my way they never seem to even see me. Deer do

I would argue that they are seeing you they just don't react.

Myopic. That word always seems to pop up whenever a bears eyesight is drawn into question. Maybe, I don't know. They sure are quick to pick up on movement.

Ask a woman!!! They know it all!!!!