Bears in the Northwest

[danc]

I found this article on a local news web site today. I read this site every day and this is the first that I've heard of Bears being in town this year, and how they are dealt with in Bear country. It's back page news up here. I thought it might be of interest to some of you.

 

Bears in Thunder Bay

[jedimaster]

I wonder if a tazer would drop a bear or piss it off?

[mercman]

I wonder if a tazer would drop a bear or piss it off?

 

 

Maybe Myth Busters will do a show on it

[jedimaster]

I would almost pay to see danc taze a bear..... Haha jk.

[danc]

I would almost pay to see danc taze a bear..... Haha jk.

 

You,ve seen my replies to the bear sighting posts jedimaster. The article that I linked to simply supports what I'm trying to say. A Bear is sighted in a rural southern Ontario community, and it's a 3 page thread. Lock up your children, put the livestock in the barn, and don't leave the house. I just don't understand why a Bear sighting strikes the fear of God into so many people. Just a guess, but I'd say that for every reported sighting here, 3 or 4 more sightings go unreported. So, let's say that there's been 20 Bears in town this year, with more to come. I've lived here my entire life (50+ years). Being generous here, that's 1000 Bear sightings in the city in my lifetime. Never have I heard about a person being injured by a close encounter with a Bear within the city in that time. In fact, the closest disaster involving a Bear sighting that I can remember is when the cops shot at one and the bullet went through a families kitchen during supper hour. And now there's reports of wild bullets flying in Balmertown. Just leave them alone and use some common sense here. The cops are gonna kill a person before a Bear scratches someone at this rate.

 

Have I made my point yet?

[jedimaster]

Yup, up north, down south, a bear in town gets put down.

Edited July 27, 2012 by jedimaster

[Dara]

I wonder if a tazer would drop a bear or piss it off?

 

 

I have to quote you just to say, go ahead...try it if you think you want to get that close.

 

second, to Dan

 

From my interpretation of the article.

Fine, the MNR doesn't do bear calls anymore. So be it.

Mr McGuinty must want the cities/towns to train their police forces to handle the situation in their town so he can cut funding to pay for windmills on the Lake Superior Shoreline. That almost makes sense (except for the windmill part) because MNR standards are not flexible enough and a town could set their own and train for them.

 

As far as 2 bullets passing through a bear I can only think they shot it with a 50 calibre, or with a 9mm through the ear flap, or, a ricochet off its skull.

Either way the cops aren't hunters and they need some training, and I don't mean OJT.

[jedimaster]

I can't imagine a 9mm, 50, or 45 handgun rounds passing through a bear. Maybe if they grazed it. A shotgun with a sabbot yah, chances are though they had a shotgun with lead slugs or buckshot. I doubt they would all carry rifle barrels and sabbot just in case. And this whole situation of police shooting bears in towns where they haven't before, proves that there is some changes to the bear population. A result of possibly. A reduction in hunting causing a greater pressure on natural food supply and forcing bears to move outwards towards cities.

[Billy Bob]

You,ve seen my replies to the bear sighting posts jedimaster. The article that I linked to simply supports what I'm trying to say. A Bear is sighted in a rural southern Ontario community, and it's a 3 page thread. Lock up your children, put the livestock in the barn, and don't leave the house. I just don't understand why a Bear sighting strikes the fear of God into so many people. Just a guess, but I'd say that for every reported sighting here, 3 or 4 more sightings go unreported. So, let's say that there's been 20 Bears in town this year, with more to come. I've lived here my entire life (50+ years). Being generous here, that's 1000 Bear sightings in the city in my lifetime. Never have I heard about a person being injured by a close encounter with a Bear within the city in that time. In fact, the closest disaster involving a Bear sighting that I can remember is when the cops shot at one and the bullet went through a families kitchen during supper hour. And now there's reports of wild bullets flying in Balmertown. Just leave them alone and use some common sense here. The cops are gonna kill a person before a Bear scratches someone at this rate.

 

Have I made my point yet?

 

Your reasoning is flawed simply because bear populations go up and down depending on many things....one (big) being the lack of a spring bear hunt in Ontario....but other things as well....like weather and food availability in the wild....either way you can't use your math for this equation....just doesn't work.

 

Bob

[John]

You,ve seen my replies to the bear sighting posts jedimaster. The article that I linked to simply supports what I'm trying to say. A Bear is sighted in a rural southern Ontario community, and it's a 3 page thread. Lock up your children, put the livestock in the barn, and don't leave the house. I just don't understand why a Bear sighting strikes the fear of God into so many people. Just a guess, but I'd say that for every reported sighting here, 3 or 4 more sightings go unreported. So, let's say that there's been 20 Bears in town this year, with more to come. I've lived here my entire life (50+ years). Being generous here, that's 1000 Bear sightings in the city in my lifetime. Never have I heard about a person being injured by a close encounter with a Bear within the city in that time. In fact, the closest disaster involving a Bear sighting that I can remember is when the cops shot at one and the bullet went through a families kitchen during supper hour. And now there's reports of wild bullets flying in Balmertown. Just leave them alone and use some common sense here. The cops are gonna kill a person before a Bear scratches someone at this rate.

 

Have I made my point yet?

 

:worthy:

[Live2fish85]

I have to quote you just to say, go ahead...try it if you think you want to get that close.

 

second, to Dan

 

From my interpretation of the article.

Fine, the MNR doesn't do bear calls anymore. So be it.

Mr McGuinty must want the cities/towns to train their police forces to handle the situation in their town so he can cut funding to pay for windmills on the Lake Superior Shoreline. That almost makes sense (except for the windmill part) because MNR standards are not flexible enough and a town could set their own and train for them.

 

As far as 2 bullets passing through a bear I can only think they shot it with a 50 calibre, or with a 9mm through the ear flap, or, a ricochet off its skull.

Either way the cops aren't hunters and they need some training, and I don't mean OJT.

 

I think you mean all of Ontario will have windmills not just Lake Superior. All along Lake Erie is going to be full of them as well as alot of other areas.

 

Makes me sick that they are going up. My parents will have a bunch within a km from there house.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Live2fish85

[NAW]

Slightly off topic.

 

My bear bait in Muskoka has at least 5 different bears at it thru the week on the trail cam.

 

Funny thing, I've been going to my cottage near there for 30 years, and have not once seen a bear. Grandparents have been there for 70 years, and have only had a handfull of bear encounters.

 

They are everywhere. We only see a very very small percentage of them.

[DundasSteelheader]

Agree fully with you Dan

 

 

I think you mean all of Ontario will have windmills not just Lake Superior. All along Lake Erie is going to be full of them as well as alot of other areas.

 

Makes me sick that they are going up. My parents will have a bunch within a km from there house.

 

I think that the windmills are a good thing. Would you rather we build another coal plant and put thousands and thousands of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere? The world needs to switch to green energy or face the concequences, and it will be my generation facing the concequences not yours. Of course theres always the 'not in my backyard' problem that you just brought up. I have stayed at a cottage less than a km from a windmill and you can't even notice it. Sorry to stray from the original topic Dan.

[danc]

Your reasoning is flawed simply because bear populations go up and down depending on many things....one (big) being the lack of a spring bear hunt in Ontario....but other things as well....like weather and food availability in the wild....either way you can't use your math for this equation....just doesn't work.

 

Bob

 

pfffftt.... You're telling me when or when not I should see Bears?? Get back to me when you've lived where I have for the past 50+ years. Or better yet, tell us more about what the computer on your 40 year old outboard (which doesn't exist) is telling you today. I can dig up that thread if you'd like. Let me know.

[Billy Bob]

pfffftt.... You're telling me when or when not I should see Bears?? Get back to me when you've lived where I have for the past 50+ years. Or better yet, tell us more about what the computer on your 40 year old outboard (which doesn't exist) is telling you today. I can dig up that thread if you'd like. Let me know.

 

Not telling you when you should see bears.......I am pointing out your math doesn't work....I have a slide rule that can compute that...

 

BTW we also have bears here

[danbouck]

So a bear in town up north gets shot, a bear in town in the south gets shot. I don't get the point

 

It's front page news down here because it's interesting news down here

[Skipper D]

I don't think we'd have as much to say to one another on Saturday mornings if Yogi & Boo Boo and Rocky & Bullwickle were still on Tv ..... lol .

[OhioFisherman]

It is the driest year here since 1988, one of my last years of going to Ontario. That year we made a day trip to visit my buddy and his family that was staying at the Lunge Lodge on the French River. That year they had trouble with bears in camp, it had been very dry up there also, very few berries and such for the bears to eat.

 

The black berries this year in my field are about the size of peas, a serious lack of water. We got some rain yesterday evening, last night, and this morning. It`s probably the most we have seen since late April.

 

My buddy Joe stopped over Tuesday, his son and a friend now run the Lunge Lodge, and like 1988 they have had some issues with bears in camp. If there is no or little food in their chosen area? It will expand.

[Live2fish85]

Agree fully with you Dan

 

 

 

 

I think that the windmills are a good thing. Would you rather we build another coal plant and put thousands and thousands of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere? The world needs to switch to green energy or face the concequences, and it will be my generation facing the concequences not yours. Of course theres always the 'not in my backyard' problem that you just brought up. I have stayed at a cottage less than a km from a windmill and you can't even notice it. Sorry to stray from the original topic Dan.

 

If you really don't know anything about them I can see why you think that.

 

They are going to cost us a ton in taxes first off.

 

Second of all the are a health risk being to close to homes, staying at a cottage for a week you probably wouldn't notice but living there you could.

 

The worst thing is though that they can't produce enough energy to supply our province they also can't shut down the coal plants as the windmills aren't a sufficient source. So we will always have that.

 

We also get most of our wind in the spring and fall which is when we use the least amount of energy and seeing as the energy can't be stored long we have to sell it for less then we are paying.

 

I believe it is Spain that has a ton of wind farms and they no longer use them as they truely aren't a sufficient source.

 

Not to mention that any property within sight of them will lose about 40% of the value which is also not a good thing.

 

Also I am around your age as well. It will effect us alot more then you think having them. I am not against green energy. Just against the stupid ass Mguinty.

 

Sorry as well Dan. This is a good topic.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Live2fish85

[Rod Caster]

If you really don't know anything about them I can see why you think that.

 

They are going to cost us a ton in taxes first off.

 

Second of all the are a health risk being to close to homes, staying at a cottage for a week you probably wouldn't notice but living there you could.

 

The worst thing is though that they can't produce enough energy to supply our province they also can't shut down the coal plants as the windmills aren't a sufficient source. So we will always have that.

 

We also get most of our wind in the spring and fall which is when we use the least amount of energy and seeing as the energy can't be stored long we have to sell it for less then we are paying.

 

I believe it is Spain that has a ton of wind farms and they no longer use them as they truely aren't a sufficient source.

 

Not to mention that any property within sight of them will lose about 40% of the value which is also not a good thing.

 

Also I am around your age as well. It will effect us alot more then you think having them. I am not against green energy. Just against the stupid ass Mguinty.

 

Sorry as well Dan. This is a good topic.

 

I won't even get into my thoughts about wind farms, but to your comments I say

 

As for the bears down south vs north....there is fear mongering that happens in the south. It's like people get suprised and worried just because a bear was seen. It's unhealthy to create a state of fear out of something so simple as a bear walking out of the bush. It just shows how disconnected to nature people can be.

 

On our job site we've seen several bears during the midnight security shift....so we put up signs that say "bears in area" hahaha Until the bears actually do something like pawing at cars or trying to approach people it's just a precautionary state. It'll get shot if its actually a dangerous bear, but if it's just looking for food because we didn't empty our garbage, well, then its time for us to empty the garbage and smarten up.