Spring bear hunting becoming more popular in southern Ontario, and some want it expanded

Long associated with northern Ontario, there are signs the spring bear hunt is becoming increasingly popular in southern parts of the province. 

Statistics from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry show 985 bears were "harvested" in the southern region (south of Parry Sound) in the spring of 2020.

That's up 300 from a few years earlier and about 100 more than the number of bears hunted in northern Ontario that spring.

In 2021, it dropped to 733 bears hunted in the south, but still more than the 719 in the northeast that spring and the 197 in northwestern Ontario.

"There is no indication that bear population numbers in southern Ontario are increasing," the ministry said in a statement.

It is currently conducting a count of the bear population across the province, the first since 2011, with results expected sometime next year.

In recent years, bear sightings have been increasing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Guelph, London and other parts of southwestern Ontario.

Keith Munro, a wildlife biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said while bears have always lived in these areas, there could be a population increase, more bears could be wandering into cities and towns due to a lack of food in the forest, or their habitat could be squeezed by increased urban sprawl.

The federation is lobbying the province to expand the bear hunt into parts of southern Ontario where it is currently not allowed, including in areas north of Toronto and in the southwest.  

The federation was one of the lead groups pushing for the reinstatement of the spring hunt after it was cancelled in 1999 amid concerns about orphan bear cubs.

After years as a popular example of northern Ontario alienation and rising worries about public safety in northern cities and towns, the spring hunt was reinstated in 2016. 

"We always want to have these discussions and we're not shy about having those. And we make sure when we do have them, we are basing them in scientific evidence and good management practices," said Munro. 

"So if controversies do come up, if there is pushback, we're prepared to offer that science-based argument."

The orphan cubs many blame on the spring hunt end up at the Bear With Us sanctuary in Sprucedale near Huntsville.

Bear With Us president Mike McIntosh doesn't see a point in banning the spring hunt again, but would like stronger laws against shooting a mother bear with cubs. 

"I would like to see there's enough ethical hunters out there who'd like to see the same thing, instead of having a hunt or no hunt situation."

Erin Nicholls runs the guiding service Red's Bear Hunting in the Haliburton area.

He remembers the days before the hunt was cancelled in the 1990s, when American and European tourists would flock to Ontario, looking for a bear rug or other trophy.

But Nicholls said these days, most hunters are from Ontario and are more interested in the bear meat, and during the pandemic, there has been an increasing number of first-time hunters looking for something to do during COVID-19 lockdowns.

"I think more people were finding the time to try hunting," he said. 

"Time for people is a big thing. If they can travel closer to home, I think people are taking advantage of that."