How to avoid confrontations with a Black Bear

If you were to come across the path of a bear in Ontario it would most likely be a Black Bear.

Black bears are attracted, by sense of smell to food and garbage.

When hungry they will follow their keen sense of smell right onto a cottage property to rummage through the garbage for a meal.

Here are some things the ministry of natural resources recommends doing around the cottage so that you aren’t surprised next time you open the cottage door.

• Put garbage out the morning of the day garbage is collected if you have garbage collection at your cottage
• Do not leave pet food outdoors
• Clean the barbeque after using
• Fill bird feeders only through the winter months
• Do not put meat, fish, or fruit in your composter
• Keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage day
• Pick all ripe fruit off trees and remove vegetables and fallen fruit from the ground
• Use electric fencing to protect valuable trees, orchards, vegetable and berry patches

I have come across two black bears in my cottaging time once, at Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon. It wasn’t a full adult bear, but must have been hungry given it showed up middle of the day with 5 men on the lot making lots of noise. Together we threw are arms about and yelled. It turned around and ran back into the woods. The other time I was leaving Lake Salerno by Irondale. This guy was huge and standing in the middle of a dirt road. As we got closer in our car he sauntered off the road and slowly made his way into the woods.

I’m sure there are many people that have bear stories to tell. If you don’t want to be one of them heed the tips above.