ERO 019-1112 Spring Bear…

ERO 019-1112 Spring Bear Hunt SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED

The Spring Bear Hunt results in orphaned bear cubs. Hunters make mistakes and kill mothers with cubs even though regulations were designed to prevent this from happening. Although bear hunters advocate killing bears as a tool to reduce human-bear conflicts, the ministry's own advisory committee found that hunting doesn't have that effect. With a fall hunt already allowed, there is no justifiable need to kill bears in spring as well.

In 1999, the Conservative government cancelled the spring bear hunt in recognition that orphaned bear cubs were left to starve or die of exposure. Why make the same mistake again?

Hunters are allowed to bait bears with junk food and garbage all summer long leading up to the fall hunt. For years I have been told that garbage should be kept locked up to prevent conflict with bears. Why are hunters breaking that rule??? Surely this will lead to human-bear conflict and should be banned. At the very least, human food as bait should not be allowed to occur within 500m of trails or roads.

I oppose your proposal to reinstate the hunt permanently. I do agree that non-residents and their relatives should not be given special opportunities to hunt.

Black bear management needs to focus on reducing human-bear conflicts by investing in coexistence education. Ontarians and tourists can safely share the landscape with black bears and other carnivores; we only need to make sure we have the resources to teach them how.