Ontario considers extending the spring black bear hunt until 2020

The Ontario government is considering a big expansion of the black bear hunt in the spring.

For the last two years the province had a pilot project to allow a bear hunt from May 1 to June 15 in eight of Ontario's 88 wildlife management units, in the areas around Timmins, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay.

All eight areas reported high levels of nuisance bears during the two-year pilot project, with Sudbury alone reporting 2,200 bear sightings last summer, four times more than 2014.

The Liberal government now wants to extend the spring hunt for another five years and expand it to all areas that already have a fall bear hunt to address complaints from northern communities about "human-bear conflicts."

It would still be illegal to hunt bear cubs and females with cubs, but hunters would be allowed to bait bears as long as they follow regulations.

Officials estimate Ontario has up to 105,000 black bears, which is described as a healthy and sustainable population.

Nova Scotia is the only other province with a fall bear hunt that does not allow a spring hunt.