By Robin Shortt
Peddling as fast as my aching legs could move, I came to an abrupt stop. My shocked eyes followed the big black bear as it veered off the old brush road into the dark forest, just a few feet in front of me.
Camping With My Friends
It was early summer. A couple of friends of mine and myself had just finished a week end camping and fishing trip at one of our favorite lakes in the area, where we lived.
As I can remember it was a very long bike ride, even for three 14 year old boys.
Bear Country
The road we took to get there and back hadn't seen any traffic for a few years. It was a good bet we would run into something back there.
Sure enough I did, my buddies missed out on all the excitement, they had trailed behind and missed out.
Spring Bear Hunt
Since that time I've seen many a black bear in the Ontario Northland of Canada.
With the cancellation of the annual spring black bear hunt, I expect to see many more of these magnificent animals.
Black Bear Population
For the tourists, this is good and bad news, for the Northern Ontario resident, just bad. Ontario has a growing black bear population that is one of the largest in the world.
Bears In Politics
The spring black bear hunt was cancelled in 1999 in a pre-election move. The thought was that the government's decision would reduce the number of orphaned cubs.
The number of orphaned cubs in shelters rose.
Happy Tourists
Residents now have to put up with nuisance bears. Too many for their liking. The tourists have good news because they will get a better chance at seeing one.
Bad, because campers will need to keep a keen eye for nuisance bears. Now nuisance bear complaints are the norm.
Bear Control
Some municipalities have now hired bear-control officers, but many municipalities cannot afford this.
Without trained staff, municipalities must rely on law enforcement officers, with no background in bear management, to respond to nuisance bear complaints.
One day the Ontario government will come to their senses and bring back the spring Black Bear hunt again.
The Bear Facts
To read the rest of this article go to the link below:
http://www.goodnightcampingequipment.com/BlackBear.html
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