No Teddy Bears In Camper’s Country

All too often is the Black Bear portrayed in the media as a lovable, cuddly, victimized species, and I think it is about time to look outside the window and smell the bear poop! I was a victim of a bear attack and lived, not only to tell the tale, but to put the bear back in its place and encourage the reinstatement of the spring bear hunt in Northern Ontario, Canada.

My story begins on July 1, 2004 - Canada Day - a national holiday, a day for celebration, the last day to weigh in the Terrace Bay Fish Derby winner…and a day that will now be forever etched in the minds of my husband, our three young children and I.

On the day prior we had decided to take advantage of the holiday by heading to our camp. After work we packed our gear and made our way to the remote trapping cabin. Upon arrival we were surprised to find that the screen surrounding the porch had been torn, the storage shed damaged, several window frames bore claw marks, and many muddy paw prints marked the windows and walls.

I am sure you will be very quick to say that we had entered into the bear’s territory and should have respected that, but I will assure you that the camp was established 15 years ago and this bear had now entered my territory!

We repaired the damage as well as we could and tried to enjoy our evening in the great outdoors. It was a beautiful, clear night. We admired the stars, displaying their brilliance in a way that can only be truly appreciated when you are in the bush. The frogs were singing a glorious tune, the mosquitoes were finally nested away for the night, and the lonely cry of the loon was echoing in the air. This peace was to be shattered in a few short hours.

3:00 a.m.

Everyone was nestled and snug in our beds, while vision of derby winners danced in our heads. Out on the screen porch there arose such a clatter, I knew right then what was the matter!

The loud crashing of paws pounded the porch and then migrated to the side walls. In the black of night we scrambled to find a flashlight and began yelling to deter the unwanted visitor. The kids were jarred from there slumber. Screaming and crying, they made their way under the kitchen table. We made as much noise as possible, but the slamming of paws continued on the walls and the windows.

My husband opened the curtain to the back window, and as he peered out to see if the bear had gone, an enormous black muzzle suddenly appeared in front of him. He yelled at the bear and banged on the window and finally it reluctantly retreated to the bush.

Stunned by what had just happened, we decided to have a coffee and try to calm the kids. We played some games and started to feel a little more secure. Forty minutes after the first encounter, the bear returned, and this time he meant business. The bear began pounding the walls, shaking the camp with its brute force, and moving around the exterior on its hind legs.

This time the kids went under the table without even being told; they knew the severity of the situation. Three young children cowering silently under the table is a visual picture that won’t soon be erased from my mind.

The bear continued pushing on the walls and windows, looking for a week spot to gain entrance. We all yelled loudly, we stomped on the floor, turned on the radio as loud as it would go, yet still it continued. It went to the bedroom window where the kids had been sleeping and began digging at the window frame and pushing on the glass. My husband ran to the room and yelled at it again. All was quiet once again. Finally it had retreated.

The night was still clear and blackness still upon us, so there was no hope of leaving the camp for the five-mile quad ride. After an hour and a half my husband and kids decided to go back to sleep, as the sun had now began to rise. Still traumatized by the event, I couldn’t sleep and decided to read a book to relax.

I sat at the kitchen table and looked out each window on a five-minute rotation. The sun was now out, and I felt a little better being able to see the bush. The window I was beside was open a couple of inches so I could smell the summer air. Everyone was still asleep. I had the radio on a little louder than usual.

Suddenly I heard loud huffs of breath coming from outside the window that I was sitting beside. I could hear the popping of teeth warning in an aggressive manner that he was going to try again. I sprang up in disbelief that we were going to be terrorized again.

It felt surreal, like something from the Blair Witch Project. My husband jumped out of bed and this time grabbed the 12 gauge shot gun from the gun cabinet. The bear pounded again and we looked out every window to see were he was. Suddenly we heard a crash and knew that he had almost made it through onto the screened porch.

My husband lifted the curtain to the front door and saw the 400-pound bear pressing its head against the screen door. He turned the handle of the entrance door and lifted his gun. My heart pounded while I tried to think of what to do if the bear gained entrance.

With one shot, the bear was down. The massive black mound that had terrorized and stalked us was on the front step of the camp.

After this experience, many thoughts went through my head. What if we were in a tent? What if we were out for a hike and encountered this aggressive bear? What if we didn’t have a gun? Are we not supposed to be on the top of the food chain?

Being outdoor enthusiasts, we know the precautions to take to avoid bear encounters; we know to be meticulous with garbage, and we know what to do when an encounter occurs. We did everything that we should have - we made loud noises and didn’t back away, yet still that bear wanted in.

So you see, the Black Bear is not cute and cuddly. The fact is that as the bear population continues to increase to an all time high in Northern Ontario, and younger bears are getting more aggressive to fight for food and territory. More cubs die now from these aggressive males than were ever “orphaned” in the history of the spring bear hunt. More calf moose do not survive to one year of age than ever before, and the moose population has been negatively impacted from the escalating bear population.

We have more bears roaming our towns now than ever before. It is very obvious that the overburdened Nuisance Bear Program is not working, and the spring bear hunt MUST be reinstated to take immediate action to this overpopulation. I truly hope that it does not take a fatal attack for the government to realize the mistake that was made.

When my children can’t play in the backyard from April to November in fear of a bear encounter, something is wrong!