The MNR would like to remind everyone that, since spring is here, black bears are now out of hibernation. At this time of year it’s important to take simple precautions to help prevent attracting
Black bears to your community.
The potential for human-bear conflicts increases when there is little natural food for bears. If this happens, black bears will search for other food sources, such as garbage and bird feed, which can attract bears to populated areas.
To minimize the chances of attracting black bears:
– Store garbage in waste containers with tight-fitting lids.
– Put out garbage only on the morning of pick-up.
– Put away bird feeders. Seed, suet and nectar put out for birds also attract bears.
– Clean outdoor grills after each use, including the grease trap underneath. Bears will be drawn by smells from great distances, including grease and food residue on grills.
People who have problems with bears can call the toll-free bear reporting line anytime at 1-866-514-2327. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or your local police.
Learn more about what you can do to keep bears out of your neighbourhood at ontario.ca/bearwise.
FACTS
• Since 2004, Ontario’s Bear Wise Program has been educating people about bears, how to avoid attracting bears and how to prevent human-bear conflicts.
• In North America in 2005 alone, bears claimed the lives of 6 people, half of whom were killed by black bears!
Well the Ontario government is trying to blame individual people for bear problems, instead of admitting that the real problem is the fact that the spring bear hunt was cancelled and now very few people hunt bears. The only heavy hunting is during the deer and moose season when it is a second species, sort of an after thought. Before the spring bear hunt was cancelled they didn’t have this problem.
The MNr has moved bears as far as 250 km and still had them come back within a week or two, they’ve slaughtered them up near Timmons and dropped the carcasses in a dump instead of letting hunters solve the problem, all because some left wing group of nuts threatened to spent money to stop some MPP’s from being re-elected. Instead of jailing them for blackmail and harassment it was easier to solve the problem by stopping the hunt. Now look at the mess we have. Mark my words, when the disaster hits, and it soon will, the MPP’s will have blood on their hands.
Did you know that when they trap a bear they tranquilize it, it then makes the meat inedible for up to two year, thus the pink or green or blue tag (depending on the year it was trapped) in the ear to warn hunters. If you do shoot one, you are required as a hunter to report the kill, the bear is taken from you, and your license is renewed so you can continue hunting.Nice waste of time though if your a meat hunter. Most of the kills that hunters make on tagged animals are in the same area as the bear was originally taken from, so the MNR is very glad to have the nuisance bear dispatched.
I feel like Cliff Claven from Cheers LOL
but I’ve followed this very closely over the years
“It’s a little known fact there Norm”….lol
Come on Iggy, tells us what you really think!
See the problem is now, its gone on for so long without any real serious implications – cept the ones only the few that care really know about..i.e..bear dumps, nuisance reports, vehicle collisions, orphaned cubs, etc – do you think its too late now for them to ever bring back the spring hunt?
Perhaps we need another rich Industrialist like Robert Schad to finance a campaign for bringing back the spring hunt! They did a pretty damn good job of getting rid of it back in January, 1999!
If you really want get pissed off, here’s a great article about the man who exemplifies the old adage ‘more money than brains’!!
http://www.iwmc.org/IWMC-Forum/JamesLawrence/040209-01.htm
Outdoorsguy
I’m sorry to say it, but the only way it will get any attention is if some MP’s son or daughter gets mauled in down town Toronto by a bear in full view of the legislature.Even then it might be dismissed as a sychological problem which can be treated,or emotional distress,or his poor upbringing,or lack of social skills.In other words,because bears don’t directly impact the narrow minded,money hungry,SOB’s in toronto nothing will be done.Don’t forget TO is the center of the universe and there are not enough votes in the rest of the province,let alone in the rural areas to right this wrong.
Friends of mine were up moose hunting 2yrs ago and commented to the CO about the numbers of bears and the impact they could have on the moose population.The CO agreed and made the comment that “they could not deal with all the bears,and that it was up to the hunters to deal with the problem” I wonder what he ment by that statement???
I’m not too familiar with the spring bear hunt and why it was canceled years ago. I do know a lot of folks up in the Timmins area. This is a city of 40,000 residents – It’s not a hunt camp in the wild. Take a few minutes to ask any of the residentes there and they will tell you what a danger it really has become. The bears are coming right into town now, walking down the streets. They turn over garbage, they rumage in the yards, and they come in larger numbers every year. The food that is available in the city seems to have become easier to get than in the wild. The longer this hunt ban continues, the more the bears are becoming like huge predatory racoons.