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Black Bear Hunting in Temagami

Temagami black bear hunting is better now than it has been in the past. Populations are increasing and ranges are being expanded in most areas. This is reflected in the record numbers of bears taken and also in the sizes of bears being harvested. We offer trophy black bear hunting in Temagami Ontario and in some of the most black bear dense regions in the province. There is plenty of black bears seen in our bear hunting area in northeastern Ontario.

About The Black Bear

Many people don't realize just how big black bears are. A mature adult male can measure up to 190 cm (6 ft) in length, and weigh anywhere from 120 to 300 kg (250 to 650 lbs). Females can weigh up to 180 kg (400 lbs).

While we tend to think of bears as herbivores, eating berries, nuts, roots, shoots and leaves, black bears are actually omnivores that will eat just about anything, including carrion and smaller animals. Black bears are opportunistic, which means they will do what they have to and go where they must, to find food. In what biologists call "a good food year," when generous rainfall and cool weather lead to lush berry crops, bears live on what nature provides. In early spring, on emerging from hibernation, they eat willow catkins, grasses, dandelions and aspen leaves. When they can, they augment this diet with protein sources such as fish, winter-killed animals and sometimes newborn fawns or moose calves. In summer, they eat raspberries, blueberries, chokecherries and various currants and tree berries as they become available, looking to ant colonies and bee and wasp nests for sources of protein. In fall, they favour hazelnuts, mountain ash berries, acorns and beechnuts. Bears will feed for 20 hours a day, consuming enormous quantities of food, driven by a biological imperative to put on as much weight as possible in preparation for the coming winter hibernation.

The Bear Facts

Take Precautions When Hiking North on the Trail

The following article first appeared on page 21 of the Bruce Trail News, Autumn 2001 edition and is published here with permission from the author. A link to another article about bears in Ontario appears at the bottom of this page.

Two high profile incidents have recently garnered a lot of attention in Bruce County - the ransacking of a Stokes Bay bakery by a bear and a $100 bounty a Sauble Beach beekeeper placed on the bears vandalizing his hives. In defense of the bears, 1) who could resist the aroma of blueberry baked goods wafting through the forest and 2) are images of bears and honey not rather synonymous?

In all seriousness, bear sightings are on the rise from Meaford up to the tip of the Peninsula. Bears are permanent members of the region's wildlife and we humans have to take certain precautions and respect their presence.

When travelling in bear country, hikers are reminded of the following:

• Most black bears will leave before you are even aware of them.
• Make noise on the Trail - sing or talk loudly or carry a noisemaker.
• Use extra caution when travelling near water or into strong winds as the bear may not hear you approach.
• Use caution near natural bear foods such as berries, nut crops and fish.
• Stay away from any dead animals you find along the Trail. Bears defend carcasses.
• Watch for bear signs such as tracks, scat (bear droppings), fresh diggings and large overturned rocks.

If you happen to encounter a bear on the Trail, stop and face it. The worse thing you can do - and probably your first instinct - is to turn and run. If luck is with you, you'll be hiking in a group. Ensure the bear has an escape route and then begin to yell and wave your arms. You want to appear like you are a threat to the bear. Slowly back away from the animal. If bold, the bear may charge. Greater than 90% of all charges are bluffs but you want to be prepared. Your last possible course of action is to physically attack the bear with anything you have in your presence.

Be alert when on the Trail. Chances are very slim that you will ever come face to face with a bear and your best defense is to stay calm and rational. I'll end with the good news. For every fatal bear attack in North America, there are 17 deaths from spiders, 25 from snakes, 67 from dogs, 180 from bees/wasps and 374 deaths from lightning. My last piece of advice is to take shelter during the storm!

... by Joy Black, Bruce Trail News editor

More Information

• "Living with Black Bears in Ontario"   by M. Obbard, Ministry of Natural Resources
• Black Bear Scat: Large image