As an Ontario resident that…

As an Ontario resident that spends a great deal of time in the outdoors across the province, I would like to express my strong opposition to the proposed reopening of the Ontario spring bear hunt. There is no logical reason for opening the hunt after all these years. Hunters have ample opportunity to engage in their activities at other times of the year and without the risk of orphaning bear cubs when sows, with their cubs treed at another location, are shot, especially when lured to bait stations. For legitimate hunters who believe in the principle of fair chase, the entire practice is regressive and abhorrent.

I have read some unsubstantiated comments from a small number of hunters who claim that black bears are having a detrimental impact on moose populations, but I have searched diligently for any evidence that that claim has any veracity at all and I can find none. It would appear to be just another baseless claim that some hunters are using to justify the return of the hunt for their own self-interest.

I urge the Government of Ontario not to step back into the dark ages of wildlife management by reinstating the spring bear hunt.