I strongly believe that the…

I strongly believe that the time has come to completely abolish the Spring and Fall bear hunts in Ontario. If the hunt is to continue in some form then it is imperative that truly effective protection of female bears with cubs, in both Spring and Fall hunts, be implemented immediately. If the Spring Bear Hunt continues it must be reduced to a maximum of 30 days, from June 1-30. By this time bear cubs will be large enough to accompany their mother while foraging, which should reduce the number of females shot in error.

The Fall hunt, if it continues, must be limited to no more than 45 days, from September 15 to October 30. All bear hunting with dogs must be banned - this is simply medieval. If baiting is to be allowed, it must stop immediately after any Spring hunt and must be fully cleared up. Baiting cannot begin again until 2 weeks prior to any Fall hunt, i.e. September 1 at the earliest.

There are insufficient Conservation Officers to properly manage the bear hunts and enforce the regulations i.e. the Ontario Government needs to hire more people and better educate hunters on bear sexing and habits. People who live in bear country need to better understand bears and their behaviour. Human/bear conflicts can be better managed by people taking good care of any waste that might attract bears.