Working in junction with Bonnie Harrison from MPP David Piccini’s office, Vinson has been successful in prohibiting all black bear hunting in the Birdsall Wildlife which he sees as a great step in the right direction. Vinson lives adjacent to the 243 hectare property and is happy that his neighbours have followed suit and do not allow bear hunting on their properties either.
Vinson would like to see the end of the Spring Bear Hunt from Peterborough, through Northumberland County and down through the Birdsall Wildlife area all the way to Brighton and Cobourg.
Vinson told us why the he thinks the hunt should be discontinued.
Kerry told us that he sees an alarming potential for bear populations to decline should the spring hunt continue to take place locally.
Vinson told us that when females are taken by mistake in the spring hunt that have do have cubs, it’s pretty much a given that their young will not survive. It’s very difficult from a distance to distinguish a young male from a female, and mothers seldom travel with cubs so it’s tough to tell the difference.
Unfortunately, spring bears are slaves to their stomachs and will generally gravitate to the easiest available food source after emerging from their winter dens. For hunters, they’re pretty easy prey – especially for those that use bait to bring them in.
Vinson told us that he’s motivated to preserve the bear population in our area simply because he doesn’t want to see them disappear locally which, judging from the evidence of trail cameras he has on his property, is already starting to happen with fewer and fewer sightings over the last number of years.
If you do come across a black bear, Vinson had this advice.
And many hunters agree with the idea of eliminating the spring bear hunt as the fall hunt gives the species the spring and summer to recover from hibernation as well as raise cubs born over the winter.
To learn more about Vinson’s work, visit his website at Animal Behaviour Consultants Home
Written by Joseph Goden
