Bear Hunter Success

[Guest Guest]

How goes the bear hunting everyone? Any pictures or stories? I haven't been out yet, or even bought a tag yet, but I will come small game season, just in case I see one.

How many of you's are baiting?

[Guest Guest]

Ya here's one.......

Hungry bears forage inside city limits

Tb News Source

Web Posted: 9/5/2006 3:43:47 PM

The dry weather that's contributing to our fire problems may also be a factor in the bear troubles being encountered here in the city.

City police say they received a total of 74 calls for assistance with bears last month. That compares to 41 during August of last year. Low precipitation and a poor berry crop have forced the bears into populated areas looking for food.

In the latest incident Sunday evening in the Ashland Place area, officers were forced to kill a 350-pound bear after attempts to tranquilize the animal failed.

An initial round from a shotgun only wounded the bear. It then became enraged and started charging people in the area. It took several more shots before the animal was finally killed.

[Guest Guest]

We need the spring bear hunt back.

P.S To bad we can't ask the bears how there spring moose hunt was...

[Guest Cribby]

Do The police not have a shotgun with a slugged barrel and scope they could use in these situations? Or something like a 22-250 with a hollow point and scope of course. This would allow an accurate kill shot and have less chance of a pass through. This would also make head shots (at close range) a possibility.

Not all officers need one, but have one at the station they could bring to the call if things get out of hand. Like this one and others in the past.

I believe they should do things alot safer than they have in the past.

Please reply and tell me if I'm way off on this one.

P.S I should have started a new topic for this, as it's one i think M.N.R and police should see what people are thinking about it.

[Guest canuck]

Do The police not have a shotgun with a slugged barrel and scope they could use in these situations? Or something like a 22-250 with a hollow point and scope of course. This would allow an accurate kill shot and have less chance of a pass through. This would also make head shots (at close range) a possibility.

Not all officers need one, but have one at the station they could bring to the call if things get out of hand. Like this one and others in the past.

I believe they should do things alot safer than they have in the past.

Please reply and tell me if I'm way off on this one.

P.S I should have started a new topic for this, as it's one i think M.N.R and police should see what people are thinking about it.

Cribby,

The city police have certain officers that are additionally trained to carry shotguns with slugs. Not everyone on the department is trained in dispatching animals and do not have access to a shotgun and must wait for someone that is "trained" to come and shoot if need be.

They are not in the business of having to shoot bears and would rather have them tranquilized by the MNR and safely removed from the City. However not every bear that is tranquilized with go down and not every bear that is shot with a slug will drop either. My understanding is this particular bear was very hopped up. This bear was not sitting at a bait, or standing off a hundred yards away where you would be able to take that "perfect shot". It was in yards causing damage to property, running through yards and charging people. That animal was a danger.. He became very aggressive and the Officers and MNR did what they needed to do at that moment. And that was protect the people in that neighbourhood.

I believe the officers and MNR did an admirable job under the circumstances.

Just my two scents worth. (Get it...two scents...ha ha ha!)

[Guest Cribby]

So what your saying is the police have a plan of action for a bear situation? Not saying that things were'nt handled proper. just think with there being more and more bear calls and bears having to be shot they would relook at there plan.

One other question is, tranquilizing animals atleast here in Tbay has not been to successful, Right? Even a well trained officer really has no Idea of the animals weight, thus not enough to take affect and just agrivating the bear or to much, killing it. Like the moose in the arena.

So what I'm thinking is, if they have time to wait for the mnr to get there, they also would have time to get a proper rifle or shotgun (and trained person) to get there aswell. This making the situation safer for people in the area.

[Guest canuck]

So what your saying is the police have a plan of action for a bear situation? Not saying that things were'nt handled proper. just think with there being more and more bear calls and bears having to be shot they would relook at there plan.

One other question is, tranquilizing animals atleast here in Tbay has not been to successful, Right? Even a well trained officer really has no Idea of the animals weight, thus not enough to take affect and just agrivating the bear or to much, killing it. Like the moose in the arena.

So what I'm thinking is, if they have time to wait for the mnr to get there, they also would have time to get a proper rifle or shotgun (and trained person) to get there aswell. This making the situation safer for people in the area.

On the contrary it has been quit successful. I have heard of more successful ones than not. The police do not have anyone trained in tranguilizing bears only the MNR, but they do have policy and plans for nuisance bears. If time is on the police side and the bear is treed then they wait for the MNR. If there is a danger to the public then obviously decisions have to be made.

They will wait for the trained officers to arrive prior to anything being done in terms of dispatching a bear. As indicated in the earlier post not all officers have access to shotguns thus they have no choice but to wait for the trained officer. A 40 cal. bullet regardless of shot placement will not dispatch a bear.

[Gone8to1248 158]

Using a tranquilizer dart on a bear sometimes can be like using pepper spray or mace on a drunk. They adrenlaen is flowing and has little to no affect on them. I have shot many bears in my hunting days with everything from a .243 to a 12 gauge with slugs from 10yds and not knock them down. I even shot one at 15 feet between the eyes with a 220 grain slug out of a 30-06 one year and it took 20 minutes for it to die. The skull came out in 6 pieces. They are not an easy animal to bring down with a single shot and drop them in thier tracks. with dry summers, no berries, no spring hunt and an over population you have a good formula for a bear problem. With garbage being an easy target bears in towns will always be a problem. It evens happens down here in the states where we don't have the big bear populations. I agree that only a trainned hunter should be taking the shot on a bear in a populated area. Once you wound one and it starts running around, you now have a major problem and a lot of people become at risk. In a town you really have to pick your shot as to not miss and know where that shot is going if it passes through the animal.

Gone8to1248

[Guest Guest]

Using a tranquilizer dart on a bear sometimes can be like using pepper spray or mace on a drunk. They adrenlaen is flowing and has little to no affect on them. I have shot many bears in my hunting days with everything from a .243 to a 12 gauge with slugs from 10yds and not knock them down. I even shot one at 15 feet between the eyes with a 220 grain slug out of a 30-06 one year and it took 20 minutes for it to die. The skull came out in 6 pieces. They are not an easy animal to bring down with a single shot and drop them in thier tracks. with dry summers, no berries, no spring hunt and an over population you have a good formula for a bear problem. With garbage being an easy target bears in towns will always be a problem. It evens happens down here in the states where we don't have the big bear populations. I agree that only a trainned hunter should be taking the shot on a bear in a populated area. Once you wound one and it starts running around, you now have a major problem and a lot of people become at risk. In a town you really have to pick your shot as to not miss and know where that shot is going if it passes through the animal.

Gone8to1248

interesting theory, but way off gone8. maybe you have shot lots of bears, but your speculation, (and i assume that what it is, since you provided no evidence that you have ever attempted to tranquilize any yourself) is way off. it is very unlike pepper spray, and is very effective. a trained person should have minimal problems tranquilizing a problem bear, and can account for things like increased adrenaline in the animal.

the only one ive ever heard of is this bear that was just being talked about in the paper, where the tranqulizing attempt did not work, but that seemed to be in very uncertain conditions and the bear had already been fatally wounded at that point.

any responsible hunter should know that something like shooting a bear with a .243, or shooting a bear between the eyes is very unsafe and unhumane, (i imagine it took that poor bear 20 minutes to die when you shot it in the head because you didnt come close to hitting it in the brain), yet these are things you just admitted to doing yourself, so i suggest you watch how you criticize others.

and to the person who wrote this;

"One other question is, tranquilizing animals atleast here in Tbay has not been to successful, Right? Even a well trained officer really has no Idea of the animals weight, thus not enough to take affect and just agrivating the bear or to much, killing it. Like the moose in the arena."

-as far as trained people being unable to guess a bears weight, thats why theyre trained, so they can accurately estimate things like this and deal with the situation properly. and is something that has seemed to be done with great success, not sure where you are hearing otherwise from.

[Guest Cribby]

You sound like one of those tree huger people. All the views in this thread are from the public, like it or not. If you are someone that is involved with this type of situation, you should use these comments to make changes. So the "PUBLIC" will have a little more faith in what the M.N.R and police are doing about the growing problem.

You know as well as I, It is only going to get worse. Of course if you are the tree hugger type, you love there being no spring bear hunt. Or let me guess, you don't even live in the city so all this does'nt matter to you anyway.

I want you to admit something has to be done. Whether it be P.R work, training, or a specific plan of action.

interesting theory, but way off gone8. maybe you have shot lots of bears, but your speculation, (and i assume that what it is, since you provided no evidence that you have ever attempted to tranquilize any yourself) is way off. it is very unlike pepper spray, and is very effective. a trained person should have minimal problems tranquilizing a problem bear, and can account for things like increased adrenaline in the animal.

the only one ive ever heard of is this bear that was just being talked about in the paper, where the tranqulizing attempt did not work, but that seemed to be in very uncertain conditions and the bear had already been fatally wounded at that point.

any responsible hunter should know that something like shooting a bear with a .243, or shooting a bear between the eyes is very unsafe and unhumane, (i imagine it took that poor bear 20 minutes to die when you shot it in the head because you didnt come close to hitting it in the brain), yet these are things you just admitted to doing yourself, so i suggest you watch how you criticize others.

and to the person who wrote this;

"One other question is, tranquilizing animals atleast here in Tbay has not been to successful, Right? Even a well trained officer really has no Idea of the animals weight, thus not enough to take affect and just agrivating the bear or to much, killing it. Like the moose in the arena."

-as far as trained people being unable to guess a bears weight, thats why theyre trained, so they can accurately estimate things like this and deal with the situation properly. and is something that has seemed to be done with great success, not sure where you are hearing otherwise from.

[Guest cribby]

Why do local hunters always complain about the 'spring' bear hunt, can't you just hunt them in the fall?

Enlighten me.

Don't know about you, but Deer and Moose are the main things in the fall. And for alot of people the whole season is needed to fill there tags.

Just my opinion.

[Some Old Guy 968]

Hi OFAH,

I don't hunt. But I live in an area where there are a lot of bears and I wouldn't mind the spring hunt returning.

#1 As humans encroach on bear territory issues are certainly going to happen. If it was just my wife and I out here no problem. I have two young kids and twice this year I was thankful for my two dogs.

#2 Millions are spent on bear wise programs. This money could have been generated instead of spent by reinstating the bear hunt. I know for a fact these bears are being destroyed. If they were hunted the meat would be used.

#3 I would appreciate it if you changed your User Name. Mix the letters up like OFHA or something like that. I know what you represent and I respect your opinion but I think the four letters in the arrangement you are using them are copy written. It also misleads the people here. Like I said, Voice your opinion I have no problem with that. Just no bashing or name calling. Same goes for the members here.

You have a right to your opinion and I have mine and so and so has theirs. The animals, well that can be a grey area. A bear might have rights in some people's opinion but does the dog that bites a kid..... well we all know what happens to the dog.

Roger Mayer

[tracker 61]

The other issue regarding the loss of the spring bear hunt was the loss of opportunity. When a precident has been set like hunting bear in the spring and the opportunity has been taken away, than the MNR should have provided another bear management plan that would work for all stakeholders and still have control of the bear situation. Niether of these requirements have been met in my opinion.

[tracker 61]

OFAH- Do you not pay fees to hunt and fish? Do you think the hunters/anglers pay these fees so the MNR and the government can pay their employees to come up with ways to stop hunting and fishing. I don't bear hunt but I do support my fellow hunters who enjoyed hunting bear in the spring, and if it means that I have to write a letter to the people in power stating that I still feel that the hunters of Ontario have been done wrong, than that's what I'll keep on doing. I got an idea, lets close summer fishing because you could still ice fish!!!!!

[Guest merc]

The spring bear hunt is a very complex problem as there are so many parties with interests in this issue up to and including the bears.

Here are some facts...

There are many outfitters out there who have mortgaged their lives to make a living off the outdoors and this included the income received from the spring bear hunt in their yearly budget.

When the spring harvest was removed it added many bears into the fold that would be competing against each other for the same food source. Bears are unique as they definetely take the path of least resistance and find humans leave behind many tasty treats for the taking with little effort. Adds up to more bear sightings in populated areas.

This answers part of your question...Spring bears are hungry and are more likely to visit bait piles as opposed to a bear in the fall with more options. Your statement about the fall hunt doing the same thing is not the case. Someone mentioned and it's true--more hunters are chasing moose and deer in the fall.

More facts...My own son who was working shift work last year encountered no less than 6 bears in peoples front yards on his walk home in the early hours. Also check out CKDR.Net website and check their message board where a woman was very concerned about a bear trying to enter her residence repeatedly..no doubt because their food source dried up with the summer's drought. She's very worried for her children.

Don't get me wrong---I'm not a shoot everything hunter---fact is many occasions when in the bush I've encountered other predators (Wolves, Bears) and We've looked at each other and gone our seperate ways (Me sometimes to check my shorts) but I believe they were hunting here a long time before mankind showed up so I live and let live.

But like everything now it needs management as this environment is not the same as it was even 50 yrs ago as the landscape has changed--people are places they never were before--predators have been removed from the system and without realizing it we have created un-natural unbalances in nature.

Don't take my word for it..ask yourself why smaller fish limits and slot sizes--why extra deer tags --why fewer moose tags--why now licencing wolf hunts-----we are chasing balance.

The spring bear hunt ban was mostly politcal to appease apartment/condo dwelling residents of southern Ontario who thought it to be cruel---This is the part of the novel where we check the Newfoundland seal hunt ban and it's re-instating from the past.

We all wish nature to handle everything that comes along but possibly we have given her too much to deal with and that's why we have to interfere. Maybe we should be thankful some people are thinking that way.

I hope this did enlighten you......Like my 1/2 brother Mahumba stated...If a dog bit a child we'd put it down--why are we more caring of a bear.

Hell I bit my wife last night---I think she wants to put me down now.

Apologies for the length--regulars to this site know I'm usually pretty tight-lipped (or so)

Merc

[Guest Guest]

The spring bear hunt is a very complex problem as there are so many parties with interests in this issue up to and including the bears.

Here are some facts...

Excellent reply. I apreciate the time you spent to explain this to me.

[Guest Guest]

Some great pros and cons here. But the bottom line is as we expand they diminsh. Just like everything else since humans hit the earth. no offense to anyone but with us having babies we will eventually be the only creature on earth in one hundred thousand years.

[Gone8to1248 158]

interesting theory, but way off gone8. maybe you have shot lots of bears, but your speculation, (and i assume that what it is, since you provided no evidence that you have ever attempted to tranquilize any yourself) is way off. it is very unlike pepper spray, and is very effective. a trained person should have minimal problems tranquilizing a problem bear, and can account for things like increased adrenaline in the animal.

the only one ive ever heard of is this bear that was just being talked about in the paper, where the tranqulizing attempt did not work, but that seemed to be in very uncertain conditions and the bear had already been fatally wounded at that point.

any responsible hunter should know that something like shooting a bear with a .243, or shooting a bear between the eyes is very unsafe and unhumane, (i imagine it took that poor bear 20 minutes to die when you shot it in the head because you didnt come close to hitting it in the brain), yet these are things you just admitted to doing yourself, so i suggest you watch how you criticize others.

and to the person who wrote this;

"One other question is, tranquilizing animals atleast here in Tbay has not been to successful, Right? Even a well trained officer really has no Idea of the animals weight, thus not enough to take affect and just agrivating the bear or to much, killing it. Like the moose in the arena."

-as far as trained people being unable to guess a bears weight, thats why theyre trained, so they can accurately estimate things like this and deal with the situation properly. and is something that has seemed to be done with great success, not sure where you are hearing otherwise from.

Guest

Given enough time and right conditions tranquilizing is the way to go. But because there is some guess work in it, it has been known to not work the way it is suppose to everytime. When hit I don't think the animal falls right over everytime. So what happens then? As far as where to hit the animal when using a gun, well sometimes we don't get to pick the perfect shot. The bear I had to shoot between the eyes was coming at me and the distance was less than 15 feet. The shot left powder burns on his face. Where would you have aimed at under that situation? I'm not sure what your shooting abilities are but I do know what mine are. I don't believe in overkill with a gun. And as far as a head shot goes, when your target is wearing body armor, it's the spot to aim for. Learnned that in the milatary and 2 years in combat.

[Guest Guest_Loggerpete_*]

I would like the spring bear hunt back just so the outfitters have more people hunting year round rather than just in the fall.Less travel on the bush roads all at one time and also on highways I think would be better.Just my two cents.

I don`t hunt bear and I personally don`t care if there is one or not. As for nuisance bears,I just remedy the problem myself.I don`t need the governments help to get rid of problem bears.

[Guest Big Moose]

Why do local hunters always complain about the 'spring' bear hunt, can't you just hunt them in the fall?

Enlighten me.

Hunting bear in the fall is not that tasty would you like to eat something thats been eating diapers and tampon rappers all summer long.Spring bear is way more gooder.MMM THATS TASTY!!!!!

[Guest Big Moose]

Ofcourse what we could do instead of destroying or tranquilizing the problem bears is we could trap them and release them on the streets of Toronto, So that all the granola eating tree huggers can have the wonderful experience of meeting up with a pissed off or sick bear eating thier garbage.Doesn't Toronto have a problem with what to do with thier garbage anyway,could be a solution there.