In its dogged determination to rip apart progressive environmental law and policy, the Government of Ontario is now undoing the 1999 decision to cancel the spring bear hunt. The current proposal is to reinstate the spring hunt across Ontario (i.e., wherever there is a fall black bear hunt – see map).
Spring bear hunt: Human-bear conflict
Ever since its cancellation, supporters of the spring bear hunt have argued that there would be an increase in human-bear conflict and dire consequences for human safety. Government biologists at the Ministry of Natural Resources disagreed based on their own research and other evidence. Yet, in 2014 the government reintroduced the spring hunt in parts of Ontario as a pilot study to assess the validity of safety concerns.
The results of that pilot have not been publicly released, despite their obvious relevance to the current proposal. I’ve been told that’s because the results determined that the MNRF biologists were right in the first place: the spring hunt did not reduce human-bear conflicts. Certainly, the safety argument is conspicuously absent from the government’s current proposal to reinstate the hunt.
Lack of Evidence
The government presents no strong arguments or evidence of any kind to support its proposal. It states that the economic consequences are “expected to be neutral to positive” – though again, no information is provided to support even that feeble claim. It is highly unlikely that there would be any big financial impact. Rather, those who used to hire outfitters in the fall to hunt black bears would be hiring them in the spring instead.
Oddly, the government’s chief argument seems to be that moving from a temporary pilot to permanently reinstating the bear hunt will address uncertainty. But of course, permanently cancelling the hunt would provide the same level of certainty. So again, an awfully flimsy rationale.
There is no good reason to reinstate the spring bear hunt, but there are solid reasons not to. Northerner, Paul Filteau, explains:
“Bear tourism and the killing of animals by baiting isn’t hunting. It requires few hunting skills and little effort. A garbage can is put in the bush with various concoctions to attract bears close to where the tourist sits in a stand and can hopefully distinguish a sow from a boar … Further, the placing of bait in the bush conditions bears to human garbage and scent thereby reducing their natural fear of humans. The widespread spring bear baiting throughout Northern Ontario is the ideal boot camp for training nuisance bears.”
In typical Orwellian fashion, the government announced its proposal with this headline: “Ontario Protecting Black Bears and Promoting Sustainable Hunting”. If nothing else, this misleading rhetoric needs to be called out. UPDATE (MARCH 17, 2020) – The Ontario Government has confirmed that they will bring back the spring bear hunt in 2021.
Anne Bell is Ontario Nature's Conservation Policy Advisor. Anne directed Ontario Nature’s conservation and education programs from 2007 to spring 2024 and is currently acting as a part-time advisor prior to her full retirement. She holds a Ph.D. in environmental studies and has over 30 years of experience working as an environmental educator, researcher and advocate. Anne loves to go birding, camping, swimming, cross-country skiing, and to play hockey with family and friends.
35 Replies to “Black Bears Back in the Crosshairs”
I’m a proud hunter and outdoorsman. I’m also a Wildlife Tec student and know the importance of a healthy eco system. If done legally, I see no evidence supporting any clams seen in this paper or comments. I encourage people to break away from the stigma of “Sport hunting” and consider most hunters are sending in useful data by teeth samples and hunter surveys. Information the MNR would not have. I will also note the MNR has laws regarding harvesting a sow that has Cubs for any. To be clear it is illegal to kill a sow that has Cubs. You can reference Ontario 2021 hunting regulations for more information and citing my comments.
Question? Can we leave some space to animals and plants? My heart is bleeding. Do the humans have to take over everything.
So sad. We can all share the wonderful planet. I am totally against the bear hunt. I agree with many of you and your comments. After we go out and try to save the babies.
THis is the equivalent of the tourist safaris in Africa to kill big animals – if one opposes that then one must also oppose kill camps in Ontario. I have no interest in supporting such tourism.
BUT – bears are nuisance animals as Marcie points out above and they can be very dangerous particularly due to the ineptitude of MNR who are understaffed.
Humans need to leave nature alone….do you not see the havoc we have made on this, our Mother Earth…?????
It’s maddening that you feel it necessary to kill for sport!! We do not live off the land so there is no need to kill the land nor any of our two/four legged or winged beings who live on it!
Stop all unnecessary hunting of our brothers and sisters…get a video game instead to feel empowered.
Stop spring bear hunt!! We live deep in the north eastern forest with bears.. there will continue to be orphaned cubs, poaching, bears killed on our highways and railways not to mention starvation. We need to protect our wildlife. We are loosing them all across this troubled planet.
I don’t know why anyone wants to hunt bears at any time of the year, but I am definitely against bringing back the spring bear hunt especially since it results in cubs being orphaned.
Please continue the BAN on the Spring Bear Hunt in Ontario. We have no need to reduce the bears and we don’t eat them. This is a senseless slaughter that will leave baby bear cubs defenceless and without a mother. Trophy hunting is disgusting. We condemn it in Africa and we condemn it in ?? Canada.
Spring is the worst time for hunters to be let loose and track down hungry bears. There are no officials to ensure mother nnbears will be protected from overly enthusiastic hunters. Why are hunters entitled to shoot defenceless animals anyway? Please put a stop to this unnecessary “sport”
February 12, 2020 at 5:49 pm
No Spring bear hunt! This is not fair hunting – bait and wait is bad enough, no skill required, but with grim consequences to orphaned bear cubs, and to the bait-accustomed adults.
There is no reason for this, and there are both humane and practical reasons not to do it.
This is 2020, the bears have just as much of a right to live on this earth than YOU and I.
I am an animal activist but from personal experience in a Northern Ontario community I can attest to the fact that our streets were actively taken over by black bears when the spring bear hunt was cancelled. There were bears with cubs walking down streets where our children are playing. Bears in garbage and bears in crab apple trees. There was numerous calls to the MNR whose response was that until there was an injury that nothing could be done. Since 2014 these incidents have decreased.
I am not in favour of baiting or killing nursing mothers or cubs but the cancellation of the spring bear hunt did increase human bear encounters and put our safety at risk.
Reinstating the bear hunt is appalling.
As we make inroads into behaving in a kind and respectful way towards our precious wildlife (stopping hunts), the policies are reversed at a whim. Our governments must be held accountable for such actions. Hunting’s time is long past.
Noooooooooooooo!!!! If nothing else, let these animals have their young in peace! Baiting bears sets up a dangerous chain of learned behaviour that may result in even more unwanted human/bear interactions.
Who is pushing this?
I am against a spring bear hunt.
Why would the Ontario Govt., through the MNRF, even consider permitting the hunting of Black Bears in an age when top predator animals have bee scientifically shown to be essential for maintaining balanced ecosystems? It shows willful ignorance.
No Spring bear hunt! This is not fair hunting – bait and wait is bad enough, no skill required, but with grim consequences to orphaned bear cubs, and to the bait-accustomed adults.
There is no reason for this, and there are both humane and practical reasons not to do it.
Spring is the worst time for hunters to be let loose and track down hungry bears. There are no officials to ensure mother bears will be protected from overly enthusiastic hunters. Why are hunters entitled to shoot defenceless animals anyway? Please put a stop to this unnecessary “sport” !
I’m a proud hunter and outdoorsman. I’m also a Wildlife Tec student and know the importance of a healthy eco system. If done legally, I see no evidence supporting any clams seen in this paper or comments. I encourage people to break away from the stigma of “Sport hunting” and consider most hunters are sending in useful data by teeth samples and hunter surveys. Information the MNR would not have. I will also note the MNR has laws regarding harvesting a sow that has Cubs for any. To be clear it is illegal to kill a sow that has Cubs. You can reference Ontario 2021 hunting regulations for more information and citing my comments.
Question? Can we leave some space to animals and plants? My heart is bleeding. Do the humans have to take over everything.
So sad. We can all share the wonderful planet. I am totally against the bear hunt. I agree with many of you and your comments. After we go out and try to save the babies.
THis is the equivalent of the tourist safaris in Africa to kill big animals – if one opposes that then one must also oppose kill camps in Ontario. I have no interest in supporting such tourism.
BUT – bears are nuisance animals as Marcie points out above and they can be very dangerous particularly due to the ineptitude of MNR who are understaffed.
Humans need to leave nature alone….do you not see the havoc we have made on this, our Mother Earth…?????
It’s maddening that you feel it necessary to kill for sport!! We do not live off the land so there is no need to kill the land nor any of our two/four legged or winged beings who live on it!
Stop all unnecessary hunting of our brothers and sisters…get a video game instead to feel empowered.
Please stop the killing of bears that are coming out of hibernation. There is no need to kill these animals for “sport”.
There is no reason for this type of hunting and it does extreme harm. We need to move forward and protect our wild life now more than ever.
If the spring hunt were for red necks, all future issues regarding hunts would eventually disappear with them.
Stop spring bear hunt!! We live deep in the north eastern forest with bears.. there will continue to be orphaned cubs, poaching, bears killed on our highways and railways not to mention starvation. We need to protect our wildlife. We are loosing them all across this troubled planet.
I don’t know why anyone wants to hunt bears at any time of the year, but I am definitely against bringing back the spring bear hunt especially since it results in cubs being orphaned.
With all the species loss and extinction, how can you possibly think this is a good idea. I am disgusted.
Really you have to
Shoot a bear ? Why?
Bring back the spring hunt and don’t listen to people who live in big cities and have no idea what they are talking about.
The Ontario spring bear hunt was extremely cruel and unsustainable. Do not bring it back.
This is when bears have babies. I do not see any need to hunt bears period. They are not in abundance. Nature is in balance until we get involved!
Please continue the BAN on the Spring Bear Hunt in Ontario. We have no need to reduce the bears and we don’t eat them. This is a senseless slaughter that will leave baby bear cubs defenceless and without a mother. Trophy hunting is disgusting. We condemn it in Africa and we condemn it in ?? Canada.
Please stop the bear hunt. Too much is happening already and it will THROW OFF the ecosystem’s balance… please leave the Bears alone.
No spring bear hunt- that is when the mothers and Cubs are active. How is that a sport?
We are in the middle of a sixth extinction , this is the last thing we need!
Why do we have a bear hunt at all? Ridiculous.
No spring bear hunt!!!!!!
I am definitely against a reinstitution of the annual bear hunt.
Spring is the worst time for hunters to be let loose and track down hungry bears. There are no officials to ensure mother nnbears will be protected from overly enthusiastic hunters. Why are hunters entitled to shoot defenceless animals anyway? Please put a stop to this unnecessary “sport”
February 12, 2020 at 5:49 pm
No Spring bear hunt! This is not fair hunting – bait and wait is bad enough, no skill required, but with grim consequences to orphaned bear cubs, and to the bait-accustomed adults.
There is no reason for this, and there are both humane and practical reasons not to do it.
This is 2020, the bears have just as much of a right to live on this earth than YOU and I.
I am an animal activist but from personal experience in a Northern Ontario community I can attest to the fact that our streets were actively taken over by black bears when the spring bear hunt was cancelled. There were bears with cubs walking down streets where our children are playing. Bears in garbage and bears in crab apple trees. There was numerous calls to the MNR whose response was that until there was an injury that nothing could be done. Since 2014 these incidents have decreased.
I am not in favour of baiting or killing nursing mothers or cubs but the cancellation of the spring bear hunt did increase human bear encounters and put our safety at risk.
Reinstating the bear hunt is appalling.
As we make inroads into behaving in a kind and respectful way towards our precious wildlife (stopping hunts), the policies are reversed at a whim. Our governments must be held accountable for such actions. Hunting’s time is long past.
The Government needs to come clean on the reasons for instituting the spring hunt. Baiting is a cruel method to upset nature’s balance.
Noooooooooooooo!!!! If nothing else, let these animals have their young in peace! Baiting bears sets up a dangerous chain of learned behaviour that may result in even more unwanted human/bear interactions.
Who is pushing this?
I am against a spring bear hunt.
Why would the Ontario Govt., through the MNRF, even consider permitting the hunting of Black Bears in an age when top predator animals have bee scientifically shown to be essential for maintaining balanced ecosystems? It shows willful ignorance.
Stop this cruelty to these intelligent animals! It’s sickening.
Against spring bear hunt.
The government owes its citizens a clear, concise, fully transparent reason why killing bears is necessary and why it is necessary now.
No Spring bear hunt! This is not fair hunting – bait and wait is bad enough, no skill required, but with grim consequences to orphaned bear cubs, and to the bait-accustomed adults.
There is no reason for this, and there are both humane and practical reasons not to do it.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I’m against a spring bear hunt
Spring is the worst time for hunters to be let loose and track down hungry bears. There are no officials to ensure mother bears will be protected from overly enthusiastic hunters. Why are hunters entitled to shoot defenceless animals anyway? Please put a stop to this unnecessary “sport” !
Reverse this stupid decision which does nothing fir conservation.