Carry shotgun while filling feeders?

[fishermccann]

I know someone who shoots yotes from over his bear baits all year round, but it would be a diff. story if they found you with a dead bear at your barrel ( out of season), and you said you had to shoot it because it was threatening and you feared an attack.

[grandman]

The problem is that they could charge you, if it sticks or not does not mean they cannot charge you.

Dyth's comment was one from a CO that really did not have any clue about what was going on or just trying to be a jerk but this may be the case.

I dont know about the bears in Oxford Mills (lol) but after going into bait stands hundeds of times here in Nipigon I have never been charged.LOL. If you were charged by the time you got that gun off you shoulder he would be on you anyway considering you carrying bait, fryer oil.Like said before announce your presence be observant and you will be just fine.

[Snowwalker]

Buy some "LESS LETHAL" rounds and carry the shotgun. First round out is rubber second and third is buckshot....CO asks show him the rubber bullets. They come five in a box just like slugs.

I would rather be standing there to tell the CO he is a pile for charging me, then being one on the ground.

[rev500ss]

Thanks for all the input. I'm not actually baiting for the Bears, I'm actually feeding the deer but the bears are eating too.
Up to this point I haven't felt that I need to carry anything, but as it's getting latter in the year the bears may be looking for food more often. I'd rather not be their food.
Looking at the time(s) on my cameras it seems one or more are visiting 3 times a day.

As for shooting a warning shot or shooting it?
I personally wouldn't fire at all unless I thought it was going to come after me, and then at that point it would depend on how much time I have. As I walk into my feeder I can see if anything is in the area. If I can see something then I'm turning back.
I can wait a couple more weeks until season opens.

[Fox]

I dont know about the bears in Oxford Mills (lol) but after going into bait stands hundeds of times here in Nipigon I have never been charged.LOL. If you were charged by the time you got that gun off you shoulder he would be on you anyway considering you carrying bait, fryer oil.Like said before announce your presence be observant and you will be just fine.

Thank you for your ignorance, there are bears in our area, one was spotted down the road from my house and another near Kemptville. That does not mean that I was baiting bears at my house. We used to hunt in one of the areas with the highest bear populations in the southern half of the province.

I have walked up on them at the bait, saw the picture on the camera 1 min before I got there. The bait location is in thick bush and setup for bows so the bush is really close to the bait.

I have not been charged but I wanted to be ready if I was. I also did not walk in with it on my shoulder, I would go in with a friend and 1 would carry the gun, the other would carry the bait.

[Greenhorn]

Lol,you can hunt on Sunday's during deer season,no other time. carry a whistle around your neck. Drive to the baits and most times the Bears will leave. really worried carry. Bear spray. mine probably won't work it's about 20 years old,lol. I had Bears refuse to leave, but they were never aggressive and just waited for me to leave. I do have an axe in the side x side for imergency.

[Blue Lk]

If you feel the need to carry a gun everytime you step into the bush,maybe you should stay out of the bush

[grandman]

If you feel the need to carry a gun everytime you step into the bush,maybe you should stay out of the bush

i couldn,t agree more.

[trimmer21]

I actually asked a question like this to a CO once. My circumstances were a bit different. I was dating this girl at the time and her family had a cottage up on Mississauga Lake (close to what is now the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park) and a bear had decided to make itself a member of the family near a lot of people's cottages (so much so that the bear showed it wasn't afraid of humans during a few confrontations). I asked the CO if I could carry a rifle for protection during walks and I was told if he caught me, he would charge me with hunting out of season and I had best find another way around this problem.



Dyth

I don't know what this CO was thinking,but,he was mistaken. Small game seasons for varmint/predators is open all year. He couldn't have charged you with "hunting out of season" as long as you had a small game license. It's legal to be using slugs or buckshot until the big game season opens in September.

If there is a season open and you have your small game license, in southern Ontario for example where coyote season is all year long, you are absolutely legal to carry a shotgun with buck shot or slugs as that is legitimate ammo for yotes. A CO could not charge you in this situation providing you are not breaking any local bylaws...

That's correct,BUT,after the big game season for Bear opens,if you carry slugs or shot greater than #2 or steel shot greater than BBB OR a rifle of greater muzzle energy than 400ft.lbs. (.22),you need to have a Black Bear license and be wearing blaze orange.

[smitty55]

I'm with Greenhorn on this one. All you need is bear spray. Studies have actually shown that it is more effective, with less injuries per encounter, than wounding a bear and getting it mad. Or even worse, have to shoot a cub and and get mom real mad at you. Ouch!

Now once the season is open, hell yea, carry a rifle and be silent going in. Not likely to happen with a midday feeding anyway, but you never know how your tag might get filled.

Cheers