Outdoors

Be Bear Wise this summer

It’s been said you can’t tell the contents of a good book just by glancing at the front cover.
In a roundabout way, the same can be said about bears.
Quite often stigmatized by TV cartoons and commercials as being slow and dumb, bears are far from that.
Although they exhibit a high degree of curiosity and often avoid humans, bears possess a high degree of intelligence, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. They are powerful animals and can be potentially dangerous.
With summer in full swing, the ministry suggests those venturing into the woods where bear sightings have been reported should take heed.
In York Region, the ministry’s Aurora District office says sightings have been few.
“We’ve had no occurrences to date this year of having to remove any bears whereas last year we had to remove one near Newmarket and one near Markham,”  John Almond, the ministry’s district bear lead, says.
As a means of avoiding the potential for any human-bear confrontations, the ministry created its Bear Wise program two years ago.
What generally draws bears towards humans is food, he says.
To ease potential fears, Almond said favourable weather conditions have created a good natural food supply for bears.
“Blueberries have come out earlier this year and, as a result, we should see a decreased number of human-bear conflicts,” he says.
“If it’s a poor year for natural food sources, bears will seek out food. They might go to someone’s cottage or get into a bird feeder or garbage that’s left out near a road.”
The ministry says what generally agitates bears is the element of surprise.
To help people deal with a bear encounter, the ministry offers the following precautions:
• Make noise as you move through wooded areas, especially in areas where background noise is high such as near streams. Singing, whistling or talking will alert bears to your presence giving them a chance to avoid you.
• Do not travel alone.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not wear headphones.
• Pay attention for signs of bears such as tracks, claw marks on trees, flipped over rocks or logs or fresh bear droppings.
• Carry and have readily accessible a sounding device such as a whistle or air horn and bear pepper spray. Learn how to use the spray. Practice on a stationary object to get a feel for how the canister sprays and know its limitations.
• Consider carrying a long-handled axe, particularly if you are in back country.
• Avoid strong fragrances that may cause a bear to be curious. Place food you are carrying in sealed containers in your pack.
• If you are out with a dog, control it. Uncontrolled, untrained dogs may actually lead a bear to you.
• Scan your surroundings occasionally. While picking berries, for example, check for bears by rising slowly from your crouched position so you don’t startle a nearby bear. They may not recognize you as human in a crouched position.

If you encounter a bear, the ministry suggests doing the following:
• Drop any food you are carrying.
• If the bear isn’t paying attention to you, slowly and quietly back away while watching the bear to make sure it isn’t following you. Do not approach the bear to get a better look.
• If the bear obviously knows you are there, raise your arms to make yourself look as big as possible and speak in a firm but non-threatening voice while looking at the bear and backing away.
• Watch the bear to gauge its reaction to you. Generally the noisier the bear is the less dangerous it is. If a bear huffs, pops its jaws or stomps its paws on the ground, it wants you to back away and give it space.
• If a bear approaches, be aggressive. Employ your whistle or air horn, yell, stand tall, wave your arms and throw objects.
• If a bear keeps advancing and is getting close, use your pepper spray and anything else to threaten or distract the bear. The ministry says bears will often first test to see if it is safe to approach you.
• Stand your ground. Do not run or climb a tree as bears can run and climb better and faster than you.
• If the bear makes contact, fight back with everything you have.
For more on bear sighting, contact the local ministry office in that specific area or click here

Simcoe lake trout fishing can be a hit and miss proposition

They might be considered a neglected fish once summer rolls around.
But when fishing for Lake Simcoe lake trout during the dog days of summer, they are relatively easy to locate.
With the big greys requiring cooler temperatures a little above 4C, just focus your attention to the lake’s western arm, ranging from Kempenfelt Bay and north along Hawkestone to Eight Mile Point. It is here these fish will be found inhabiting water depths of up to 100 feet.
Working this area you’ll find no shortage of fish, says Jason Borwick, management biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Aurora District office.
Of the fish that inhabit Lake Simcoe, he said the majority are artificially reared.
“We put in close to 100,000 yearlings a year. That’s our target,” he said. “There’s plenty of opportunity for people to catch them.”
While the majority of fish are of the put-and-take variety, as evidenced by fin clipping to identify the year they were stocked, Borwick was quick to point out recent ministry studies have shown some natural reproduction is occurring. He sees this as an encouraging sign as it indicates Simcoe’s water quality is improving. This, after fears that it was becoming a eutrophic lake with excess amounts of phosphorous being dumped into the lake through fertilizer runoff by the farming community.
The average size of a Simcoe laker is anywhere from five to 15 pounds, but they can grow larger -- much larger.
“We observed one lake trout that was approximately 34 lbs. caught through the ice in the winter in the late 1980s or early 1990s,” recalled Ron Allen, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Lake Simcoe Fisheries Assessment Unit in Sutton.  “Generally, though, lake trout over 15 lbs. are uncommon and over 20 lbs. are rare,” he added.
If the fish are in a feeding frenzy, it doesn’t take long to haul in your two-fish possession limit.
But there can be outings when these fish seem to have picked up a case of lockjaw.
Enticing these fish during this time of the year is primarily done by controlled depth fishing. This can be done by trolling with the use of downriggers or the old-fashioned method of wire lining.
Each method can work better than the other on a given day.
For those who employ downriggers, it’s often a case of doing the little things that pays dividends.
One particular piece of equipment that is vital is a good graph recorder.
In my past outings and in talking with others who seek lake trout, if the fish are suspended, it’s a sign that they are on the move looking for forage.
But on the days when they are just laying on the bottom, it can be tough to get them to co-operate.
When using downriggers, I find  it’s imperative to employ heavy cannonballs -- one’s that are at least 10 pounds. The heavier the ball, the less sway there will be when running your lines down into the depths. Your lines will truly be down to an area where the line counter on your downrigger indicates it should be.
Top baits include body baits, such as joined J-11 Rapala or the Berkley Frenzy in fluorescent orange or chartreuse tones while spoons, such as the silver and blue Luhr Jensen NK or the old traditional Williams, are also lethal.
Drawing a strike depends on your trolling speed and the manner in which you steer your vessel.
Rather than trolling in a straight line, make slow turns to get the lures moving in an erratic motion.
In many instances, lake trout tend to follow an offering for a long distance only to hit when it makes a sudden or erratic movement.
Another time-honoured technique is to release a lure from the downrigger release clip and keep a steady tension on your line while retrieving it. The ascending lure can often entice a laker to strike.
For those who like the old method of wire lining, varying the manner in which you pump back on the rod tip might entice a fish to strike your spoon.
Another method which some anglers have been turning to is vertical jigging. I like to do it over an area where fish might be in a lethargic mood and appear stacked on the lake bottom. To do this though, requires the use of a good anchor that will keep your vessel in position.
Heavy spoons weighing once ounce or more, such as the Luhr Jensen crippled herring, or even the Bad Boyz jigs are good baits to try.
Lake trout fishing in Lake Simcoe can be a hit and miss proposition.
But by doing the little things, it just might tip the odds in your favour when the fish can be unco-operative.
When cruising the waters of Lake Simcoe, be sure to keep a close ear on the weather conditions.
Guides are available for those who don’t own a boat and can be found Here or Here