While I support the return…

While I support the return of the spring bear hunt, the general focus of this proposal, I do believe that MNRF has little clue as to the health of bear populations in Central and NE Ontario. I say this knowing that population monitoring has been scanty to nonexistent and poorly designed from a geographic perspective.

The absence of registration of harvested animals vs reporting leads to inaccurate harvest information from a segment of the harvester population.

The number of bears dispatched in the "protection of private property" is much higher in rural NE Ontario than is reported and likely exceeded the legal harvest in the absence of a spring hunt.

The problems with the fall hunt are numerous. Moose hunter groups buy one bear license for the group and once that is filled by chance they purchase another to cover their next harvest. August hunting is during the recreational forest use period where trail walkers, berry pickers and portagers are put at risk.

Reducing the distance from a maintained trail or road to 30m from 200m is an attempt to support hunters who fear entering or leaving the bush in the dark with encased firearms. 30m is a dangerous distance for firearms discharge relative other travellers including highway travellers.

There is no protection for sows with cubs in fall. Young of year cubs orphaned in August will die by December.

Fat laden fall bears are essentially trophy bears by weight and far less desireable for consumption leading to potential for wastage. I'd prefer the fall hunt was cancelled with the return of the spring hunt.

Finally with little direct knowledge of the Bruce Peninsula circumstance I can easily support the reduced seasons and would support direct harvest control (tags) before this population demonstrates properties of failure.