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With only days until the Spring Bear hunt opens — Northern Ontario outfitters are worrying about the Queens Park’s restrictions on out-of-province hunters.

The spring bear hunt is beginning, May 1st and some northern outfitters are being told they can only accommodate a certain number of out-of-province hunters.  Owner of the Black Bear Camp near Smooth Rock Falls, Daniel Michaud says these last minute decisions aren’t anything new.

“That’s what they’ve been doing for the last four or five years. The have a meeting, things get passed and we barely have time to react.  The other outfitters can only get 10 to 12 bears is crazy. It’s going to create more of a problem than solve it.”

The MNRF brought back the spring bear hunt after several communities voice their displeasure with the high amount of human-bear encounters.  The Ministry did say there would be an expansion to the amount of out-of-province hunters there could be but never did give a firm number right away.

Michaud says he’s getting out of the international hunters sector because it’s to hard to even get the right paper work done.  He says outfitters are naturally scared of losing business because you have a certain amount of people booked, then you have to tell them ‘oh sorry we can’t let you come this year, there’s a restriction.’

This is the first spring bear hunt since 1999 to include international hunters and the first year of the extended 5-year pilot program by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.