Bear baiting

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April 18th, 2023, 08:43 AM
pointer

Bear baiting

Can you carry a gun while bear baiting bear getting little to close
April 18th, 2023, 08:54 AM
werner.reiche

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointer

Can you carry a gun while bear baiting bear getting little to close

I couldn't find any guidance on that in the regs.
But in general:
- If any other big game season was open, no - but I don't think there's anywhere in Ontario with a big game season open before either spring or fall bear opens.
- If it's before bear season, you would need a small game license.
- If it's during bear season, you need a bear license - which you would probably already have.
April 18th, 2023, 08:59 AM
trimmer21

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointer

Can you carry a gun while bear baiting bear getting little to close

That would depend on if there's an open season for small game in the area where you want to bait. There's no open season for small game north of the line that runs from Georgian Bay east to the Ottawa River just south of Algonquin Park from June 16 to August 31. The delineation is clearly visible on the WMU maps in The Summary. Possession of a firearm is considered "prima facie" evidence of hunting in closed areas except for target shooting. Just remember,if you shoot an out-of-season Black Bear,your reasons must be rock solid. "I thought it would attack me" won't cut it.
April 18th, 2023, 09:04 AM
werner.reiche

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by trimmer21

That would depend on if there's an open season for small game in the area where you want to bait. There's no open season for small game north of the line that runs from Georgian Bay east to the Ottawa River just south of Algonquin Park. The delineation is clearly visible on the WMU maps in The Summary. Possession of a firearm is considered "prima facie" evidence of hunting in closed areas except for target shooting. Just remember,if you shoot an out-of-season Black Bear,your reasons must be rock solid. "I thought it would attack me" won't cut it.

I'm not too familiar with the rules in Northern Ontario. The area you are referring to is commonly known as "North of the French and Mattawa Rivers" - and reaches the Ottawa River at Mattawa, North of Algonquin Park. The regs state no small game license is valid north of this June 16 to Aug 31 - I'm not sure the purpose of this statement. That would make shooting crows north of this line illegal during the summer which would seem strange.

And now that I know how to post pictures quickly...

Attachment 44440

- You don't need an open game season to carry a firearm. There are some critters you can hunt all year - groundhogs and crows come to mind but there are others.
- If you shoot a OOS bear near where you are baiting them - that's going to be real tough to sell to the CO. Maybe let the bear chew on you a bit first.
April 18th, 2023, 09:10 AM
trimmer21

Quote:

Originally Posted by werner.reiche

You don't need an open game season to carry a firearm. There are some critters you can hunt all year - groundhogs and crows come to mind but there are others.
If you shoot a OOS bear near where you are baiting them - that's going to be real tough to sell to the CO. Maybe let the bear chew on you a bit first.

That was the rule of thumb for the OPP back in my old law enforcement days and very likely still is. If someone shot or shot at a Bear,they better be bleeding when they did it or the Judge would throw the book at them. Just a note,all hunting of crows,GHogs etc. still require a small game license no matter where they're being hunted. In the areas that I cited in the above post,small game licenses are invalid in the off season from June 16 to August 31. If baiting outside those dates,we're good to go.