No Spring Bear Hunt for Nova Scotia

After careful consideration of feedback from Nova Scotians, the Province has decided there will be no spring bear hunt at this time.

Results of a public consultation clearly show Nova Scotians care deeply and are very divided on the idea of a spring bear hunt.

More than 17,000 Nova Scotians responded to a recent online survey. About 51 per cent were opposed, 47 per cent were supportive and two per cent were neutral. The Department also received 134 emails and letters from people and 10 letters from organizations. Most of this feedback did not support a spring bear hunt.

The feedback will also be helpful for future decisions about bear hunting.

The Department is committed to maintaining a stable and healthy bear population living in their natural habitat without negatively affecting the ecosystem or creating safety problems in communities.

Efforts to improve bear management include:

• working with Acadia University on a research project to improve knowledge about black bears in the province
• planning another public consultation this year on proposed regulations to manage inappropriate feeding of wildlife
• working on clarifying and addressing inconsistencies in wildlife regulations
• seeking feedback from stakeholders on improvements to hunting regulations
• looking at ways to help Nova Scotians better understand how hunting is managed.

Quick Facts:

• the public consultation on a proposed spring bear hunt ran from January 24 to February 24
• there are no changes to the annual fall bear hunt
• anyone who suspects illegal hunting activity should report it to the Department by calling 1-800-565-2224

Additional Resources:

Summary of consultation results: https://novascotia.ca/spring-bear-hunt-engagement/

Hunting in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/natr/hunt/

Hunt Nova Scotia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092347262725

Natural Resources and Renewables on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR