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| BWP Prostaffer Joel Maxfield with a nice boar bear from Ontario in August of 2006. |
July 14, October 13
The quick story on bear and bear hunting in Ontario goes like this. Once upon a time, but not too long ago, spring bear hunters were welcomed with open arms. And why not? It was a useful wildlife management tool that provided biological, social and economic benefits… a win-win proposition all the way around.
Small communities, local outfitters and the Province all benefited, while bear populations were kept in check.
But, as the story went, the federal government listened to a group of animal rights activists and decided to end the spring bear hunt because, and I quote, “It will not tolerate cubs being orphaned by hunters mistakenly shooting mother bears in the spring.” This, despite a law that made it illegal to shoot female bears with cubs in the first place.
All well-and-good for politicians and bleeding heart liberals who don’t know a lick about black bears and what it takes to manage their numbers in such a vast, wild province such as Ontario.
In a phrase – it was “the big city” against “rural lifestyle and traditions”, and well, we all know who usually wins when critical issues boil down to that.
Even the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources couldn’t understand the decision. A spring bear hunt helped reduce bear densities, especially male bears with a built in capacity to kill cubs of their own kind. Some biologists say bears kill and eat as many as 50% of all bear cubs born each year - - a dependable food source… and a sure way to minimize competition during mating season.
A spring hunt also reduced competition among bear populations for food… greatly lessened the number of deer fawns and moose calves preyed upon by bears… and kept nuisance bears to a minimum.
Well, like it or not, that’s the way it went and today spring hunting his still forbidden. Black bears in Ontario can now only be harvested in late summer starting in August.
Bear in Ontario live in dense, boreal forests that are connected with huge swamps and interlocking lakes. As a result, very little spot and stalk hunts take place. Bear hunting in Ontario generally take place over bait. In fact, this is true pretty much everywhere black bear hunting takes place.
I’ve hunted bear over bait lots of times… And when you think about it, there’s really no other way to successfully encounter or take a bear in such large, dense areas. It’s a “bring the bear to you” approach versus “you going to the bear.”
Baiting also allows for a more careful consideration of each bear before a hunter harvests… necessitates high percentage close range shots… works equally well for archery and rifle hunters… and baiting is a tool that outfitters can use to pattern bear movements within a large area.
This week, in northwestern Ontario, Joel Maxfield of Mathews bows, is hoping the sweet smell of corn, molasses, dog food, oats, and kitchen grease are the right mix of ingredients. With any luck, it’ll bring a big boar to the table within close range of his bow stand.
