1974 BEARS and THINGS
Couple of weeks ago I saw an article in a weekly paper, and the writer of an outdoor column was bemoaning the fact that there is a season for taking bears in the spring, claiming that too many bears with this year’s cubs would be shot.
Bear season has been in effect for a number of years and I have not heard of a female bear being shot, either in the fall season or in the spring. Too, in this area the number of bears taken by hunters would not be as great as the number that are shot simply as nuisance bears during the rest of the summer. October 1st is as early as the fall season should start. By that time the bears would have left the dumps, and it would mean more hunting to get one of these animals.
It was the late Mike Bates who worked hard and succeeded in getting bears declared a game animal. In the area where he had a small tourist business he was trying to get something started that would bring moneyed hunters in after bear in the spring. It has developed into quite a lot of cash being brought into the North Country.
The method of taking them by baiting has been under question, but it means a lot of work to get these places set up, and less chance of a bear being wounded. What difference is it to coax a bear to a certain spot, than to put out decoys and bring in ducks to a blind? Or to stand or sit on a runway and have deer chased out to you.
Trappers can take as many as they can but they are considered to be fur bearing animals. Since bear hides are bringing a good price at the fur sales, it makes it worthwhile to get a few.
There do not appear to be many bear around. Not nearly as many as in other years. Lots of time yet for them to show up. Only one came to my traps. Anyone want a rug?
Party of fishermen report seeing a deer track. A fresh one. But I have been on many miles of bush roads and have not seen a fresh deer track, and some of this road was in Algonquin Park.
Nearly every trip down the road to Rain Lake I see a moose or two. It may be I am seeing the same animals, but it is nice to know that the woods have not been entirely deserted. Still very few partridge drumming, though one area I have been told there has been plenty of drumming. Quite a few ducks, mostly blacks still being seen.
Fishing over the holiday weekend was decidedly poor. Many parties returned without even one. Some had a few but I did not hear of one party getting their count. But the weather was so nice noone was complaining too much. The new rule about taking live minnows into the Park may have hurt. The fact remains the May 24th catch is about the smallest on record.
People coming up for the holiday remark about the number of porcupines being killed on the highway. Seems odd, where there are so few of them in our section of thew odds. Years ago they were numerous, and no one has any idea why they disappeared. Since these are the natural food of fisher, it explains why the fisher too are scarce in the area between Highway 11 and the Park, and by all accounts, quite plentiful a bit further south and west where there are porcupines.
