Bears running wild in Ottawa

June 8, 2015 22d Comments

With the black bear incident in Newmarket and bear encounters this spring in Barhaven, Richmond and now Manotick, our Region appears to be crawling with bruins.

It has been 10 years since 2005, the year of the most fatal bear attacks in history. Are we headed in that direction?

Is it time to call for a state of emergency?

Outdoorsguy

22 thoughts on “Bears running wild in Ottawa”

  1. First it was turkeys, then coyotes and now bears? Time to take arms and bring back the spring bear hunt in WildHaven.

    1. imacdon, just imagine baiting bears right in yer back yard?!

      You’d have no reason to go to the hunt camp anymore!

      Outdoorsguy

  2. It’s going to take someone getting mauled, or worse, before anyone starts to take these bear sightings seriously. Everyone thinks the Newmarket bear should still be roaming free. Imagine if they didn’t shoot it, and it mauled someone? The very same people who are crying because it was shot would be screaming bloody murder that nothing was done sooner about it. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…

  3. These bears are all small bears probably being kick out by mom to fend for themselves. They usually learn pretty quick that towns and cities are no place for a bear. Then if they live, they disappear back where they came from. The problem will arrive when they can’t find their own territory and stick around the easy food source.

    1. Yes Iggy, you are correct that most of these bears are juvenile and out on there own for the first time. We must not let their meagre size lull anyone into a false sense of security.

      Even a small bear can do lots of damage.

      Take that Olympic athlete running near QC City that time about 20 years ago..she was blind-sided by a bear while out running, and that one barely weighed more than 150 pounds. Still big enough to kill her.

      I’m not sure all these wayward bears we have now are killers, but as sureshotdave pointed out, until someone gets mauled by one they will not be taken seriously.

      Outdoorsguy

  4. Running wild is what bears do best. It’s only a matter of time before someone is hurt because a bear was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then watch the outrage.
    What I expect is that the government will hire a committee of consultants to review the issue. From their cozy air conditioned offices, they will waste hundreds of thousands of $$$ of our money to come to the conclusion that education is key to improving bear human interaction. Based on this ‘expert recommendation’ license costs will increase to fund more bear brochures. Problem is the bears can’t read.

  5. I agree 100% that a young bear can do a lot of damage. Especially to a child and I didn’t mean to make light of the fact that bears in the city are a danger. The fact of the matter is there is no room in the wild to feed this many bears, so the young ones come calling. Until they are hunted in numbers again there is no place for them to find food so the young inexperienced ones so they visit us.

  6. What we need is a friend environment for hunters instead of an anti hunting feeling in this province.

    1. That’s it exactly Iggs..hunters and conservationists are the ones ‘in the know’..we have our fingers on the pulse of the Great Outdoors and are in direct line of wildlife control and management.

      Ok, a bit of a cliché I know..but honestly, who knows more about wildlife and bear numbers than the folks who spend all the time in the bush?

      Outdoorsguy

  7. It was once said, if you want to save a species, make it huntable. No truer words have been spoken. Look what the hunters have done for ducks, and turkeys. Take the seasons away and the hunter no longer cares, nor should he.
    I see the deer are attacking today in Kanata. LOL

  8. ministry probably used up half their annual budget ‘tranquilizing’ that deer in Kanata. Iggy, while I agree with you on a friendly environment for hunters; it will never happen. The majority of provincial voters live in a concrete jungle where raccoons are cute.
    Hunting may be on the increase with beef at 15 bucks a pound.

  9. Jeff, How was your fishing trip to Temiscaming this year? Did you catch any mystery trout this time?

    1. Sorry fishr, I’m really slow this year on posting results of that trip, but we did extremely well. SO WELL in fact, my Dad and brother-in-laws are telling me I shouldn’t even be talking about it…hehe

      I will try to put something up this week, but to your question in a nutshell, the mystery trout are alive and doing well. No real monsters this year, but we more than made up for it in quantity.

      Were you able to get out?

      Outdoorsguy

  10. Funny how we can’t comment on the Toyota Highlander story.
    Jeff are you going to tell were you fished in Temiscaming? Or is it secret Lake X

    1. Yeah, I’ve always closed off those vehicle reviews for comments..regarding the trout spot Iggy..sorry man, as much as I like you, its not gonna happen! Id have three guys ready to skin my alive..hehe

      Outdoorsguy

  12. I know what you mean about the secret lake Jeff…
    We used to fly in moose hunt north of Nakina to a decent lake. The only reason you wouldn’t catch any walleye is because you didn’t have a line in the water. 🙂

  13. Jeff, I caught a few nice trout this spring, having fished near Mont-Tremblant and Rapides-des-Joachims in Quebec.

    1. Hey, has anyone found copies of Bounder – Summer issue yet?

      Brian told me they had been distributed the other day before he left on his fishing trip, but I checked my Metro and there were none.

      Iggs..have you looked on east-end at all?

      Outdoorsguy

  14. hey morning jeff it’s been a great 2 weeks of lake trout fishing lots of fish at 50 to 65 feet loaded with bait in their stomachs most of the fish were 6 to 8 lbs , very aggressive on the hitting of the gangtroll the downrigger has also worked great with a west river spoon , all on the big rideau , it’s too bad charleston lake has all but dried up for fish camped there as a young kid with my family but it’s been the rideau , we even caught and hooked up on an old bamboo fishing pole with the reel still intact what a find anyway have a great day buddy

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