Report: Permanent spring bear hunt an economic opportunity for Ont.

A New Sudbury resident found this bear sleeping in her backyard earlier this week. A new report released by Northern Policy Institute recommends the province reintroduce the spring bear hunt and allow U.S. hunters to participate on a trial basis. However, the report doesn’t say whether a new hunt would reduce human-bear encounters. Supplied photo.

Province’s bear population large enough to sustain more hunting, researcher concludes

A new report released by Northern Policy Institute recommends the provincial government reintroduce the spring bear hunt and allow U.S. hunters to participate on a trial basis.

The report, “Does the Spring Bear Hunt Make ‘Cents?’” was researched and written by Dr. Mike Commito, a policy analyst with the Northern Policy Institute.

The report recommends reintroducing the spring bear hunt because it would be a boon to many Northern Ontario communities with strong outfitting industries.

Commito concluded the current black bear population can sustain additional harvesting, and provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador all offer spring bear hunting opportunities.

Commito writes that reintroducing the spring bear hunt could generate millions of dollars annually for the province. In 1997, a provincial mail survey found that non-resident hunters spent $25.2-million on spring and fall black bear hunting.

“History has demonstrated that non-resident bear hunting, primarily individuals from the United States, has been big business for outfitters and guides in Northern Ontario, particularly during the spring season (1937-1998),” Commito writes in the report.