Injunction over Spring bear hunt...

[Blue Lk]

This area was not included in the new proposed spring bear hunt.

Maybe we don't have enough voters to matter.This corner of the province is largely ignored by southern Ont.

But we do have more than enough bears.

The antis can do what they want in the GTA,up here,nuisance bears will dealt with in the same old way.

[irishfield]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/story.html?id=9786225 Edited April 30, 2014 by irishfield

[Gerritt]

Thanks Wayne.

[bushart]

Wish Ya'll quit pickin on us hippies

 

I'm of that era and likely could still give many folks a few huntin lessons

 

OK Neil......"Oh to live on...sugar mountain...."

[aplumma]

with the barkers and the colored balloons.......

 

 

Art

[DRIFTER_016]

"I could be twenty"

[bushart]

I gotta go------There's a girl just down the aisle......Oh, I wanna see her smile

[Rod Caster]

I should apply for a tag just to show support.

[bigugli]

Is it too late to airlift a few nuisance bears into the golden horseshoe These city folk just don't know what they are missing.

[DRIFTER_016]

Is it too late to airlift a few nuisance bears into the golden horseshoe These city folk just don't know what they are missing.

Nope, not at all.

I have several shipping containers worth we can deliver.

Just say the word!!!!

OH, forgot...... most are Grizzlies!!

Does that matter?

[wormdunker]

The grizzlies should get along just fine with the black bears on Front St. in Toronto! Need bigger traps though!

[Old Ironmaker]

I've never hunted. We did climb around the Hamilton escarpment with target arrows when around 10 years old looking for Mountain Lions. I should first say I now wish I would have hunted when younger and really judge for myself if I would have enjoyed it as much as have come to love fishing. I bought my first rod and reel at 30. The only person I knew that was a serious hunter was my younger brother and he did invite me at 35 to join him and his group, that did not turn out well and I never joined them again. I didn't hold a gun to their chagrin as I wasn't licenced to. He's many years younger.

 

I have a few questions that may help me understand why some people insist on telling others how to and how not to enjoy life.

 

We have seasons specific to certain fish species, most are aimed to ensure the species best chance for ensuring a future population of that species, if not all. IE bed protecting Bass are targeted post spawn and beyond before the season opens. Why was spring chosen for the hunting season if the cubs are susceptible at that time of year?

 

How many bears would be needed to be harvested to put enough of a dent on the population of nuisance bears? A bear in a school yard or in your backyard is more than a nuisance in my opinion, that would be downright a dangerous situation. Who chose that word to describe a possible killer?

 

Have we had any instances of a bear that has killed anyone in their backyard since 1999, or worse a child in a schoolyard in Ont?

 

Are these Black Bears more aggressive in Spring?

 

Any incite is much appreciated for this transplanted southern Ontario citiot. I once saw a bear, on TV.

 

Johnny D

Edited May 1, 2014 by Old Ironmaker

[ch312]

I've never hunted. We did climb around the Hamilton escarpment with target arrows when around 10 years old looking for Mountain Lions. I should first say I now wish I would have hunted when younger and really judge for myself if I would have enjoyed it as much as have come to love fishing. I bought my first rod and reel at 30. The only person I knew that was a serious hunter was my younger brother and he did invite me at 35 to join him and his group, that did not turn out well and I never joined them again. I didn't hold a gun to their chagrin as I wasn't licenced to. He's many years younger.

 

I have a few questions that may help me understand why some people insist on telling others how to and how not to enjoy life.

 

We have seasons specific to certain fish species, most are aimed to ensure the species best chance for ensuring a future population of that species, if not all. IE bed protecting Bass are targeted post spawn and beyond before the season opens. Why was spring chosen for the hunting season if the cubs are susceptible at that time of year?

 

It's illegal to harvest a sow with cubs in the spring and it's the hunters job to determine if the animal he is about to shoot is a boar or sow. From what I gather, most hunters will pass on a sow in the spring even if she doesn't have cubs with her. Cubs are usually very close to their mothers during this time as they are very young and the threat of male bears attempting to kill cubs is always present. The males will kill cubs to put the female back into estrous and stick by her until she's receptive so he can pass on his genes. The large majority of bears shot in the spring hunts are boars (males). Hunting boars in the spring will actually increase the survival rate of cubs.

 

How many bears would be needed to be harvested to put enough of a dent on the population of nuisance bears? A bear in a school yard or in your backyard is more than a nuisance in my opinion, that would be downright a dangerous situation. Who chose that word to describe a possible killer?

 

I'm not sure if there is a set number that would need to be harvested to lower numbers, but it is a fact that the number of nuisance bears being reported has increased annually since the cancellation of the spring hunt. Keep in mind that many people in bear country opt for the SSS (shoot, shovel, and shutup) method to deal with problem bears and we will never know how many are shot and buried without being reported.

 

Have we had any instances of a bear that has killed anyone in their backyard since 1999, or worse a child in a schoolyard in Ont?

 

Recorded bear attacks in Ontario since the spring bear hunt was cancelled in 1999

1 Fatal attack in 2005

8 Attacks causing serious injuries

45 Serious encounters with minor or no injuries

Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

 

Are these Black Bears more aggressive in Spring?

 

Yes. Sows with cubs are very protective of their young and have no issue attacking any human or animal that threatens her cubs. It's my understanding that males are also more aggressive at this time of year due to hunger, territorial disputes, and breeding.

 

Any incite is much appreciated for this transplanted southern Ontario citiot. I once saw a bear, on TV.

 

Johnny D

 

 

 

From a recent OOD article:

 

1937-1942 - Bears may be hunted at any time by residents

1942-1961 - Bears are listed as vermin and a bounty is placed on them

1961 - Bear status changed from vermin to game animal where hunters had to start buying tags

1980 - Bear specific tags introduced. before this, hunters could buy moose-bear or deer-bear combo tags

1987 - Regulations introduced prohibiting hunting bears in dens or on crown land within 400m of a dump. Illegal to shoot sow with cubs or cubs born in that year

1993-1998 - Animal rights groups start lobbying to have the spring hunt cancelled

1999 - Spring hunt is cancelled due to political reasons, not because biologists supported the idea

2003 - Nuisance bear committee is formed and they push to have the spring hunt reinstated without success

2013 - Liberal MPP introduces a bill to reintroduce the spring hunt

 

 

As you can see, it wasn't really that long ago that bears were considered vermin and the government was actually paying people to shoot them.

 

Trapping and relocating bears is expensive and doesn't work as the bears can easily return "home". Even if they do stay in their new location they'll soon be someone else's problem and will need to be trapped and relocated yet again. Hunting is proven to be the most efficient and cost effective method for controlling wildlife populations and also generates revenue for the special wildlife account and the local economy.