Wildlife Advocacy
OFAH Response to Bear Proposal, 2025
OFAH responds to proposed changes to black bear harvest management 2025
In late 2025, the MNR proposed changes to harvest management guidelines for black bears, along with draft population objectives for every unit in bear range. The proposed changes included a tag draw in WMUs where bear populations are below the population objective and extending protections for cubs and females accompanied by cubs to the fall hunting season (in addition to existing protections in the spring season). We applaud the government for dedicating more management attention to bears but call on them to listen to bear hunters, trappers, municipalities, and everyone living in bear range.
Managing hunters through tag and season restrictions might limit harvest, but it does nothing to address the root causes of many population declines, such as habitat quantity and quality, food availability, and, in the case of Bruce Peninsula bears, genetic isolation. By focusing almost exclusively on regulating hunters rather than stewarding the resource, the government ignores the reality that a shrinking “supply” of wildlife cannot be fixed simply by rationing it more strictly. Conservation requires much more than hunter management – it requires an ecosystem lens that considers bears in land use and forest management decisions.
Download and read full letter here
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The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is committed to providing inclusive and educational hunting programs that foster a strong, united community of conservation-minded hunters.