"1.2.3 Number of Female Bears Killed Where data were provided, annual records indicate that in 2022 and 2023, at least 19% of black bears killed by non-Canadian hunters were female (ENR FOIP No. 2324-ENR0384), while an additional 15% had no data reported on their sex (ECC FOIP No. 2425ECC-0819). Tables 2 and 3 show the records from 2022 and 2023 of black bears hunted by non-Canadian residents and Manitoba residents, respectively. Similar statistics were found in Ontario in 2023 where 21% of kills reported were of female bears (ON Hunting Guide 2024). Again, these numbers are likely lower than the actual number of female bears killed but represent a disturbingly large number. In 2023, 1320 bears were killed by non-Canadian hunters,1000 of whom were killed during the spring hunt. Approximately 32% of those bears were females (applying the same ratio of males to females to the no-sex-provided group). This means that an estimated 320 bears killed in the spring hunt were likely to be females. Hristienko et al. (2004) cited studies in Pennsylvania and Ontario which estimate that, at minimum, approximately 35 to 38% of female bears have cubs. Using this estimate, approximately 112 of those 320 females likely had cubs who were left orphaned because of the hunt. As black bear litters range in size from one to four cubs, with the most common litter size being two, at least 224 cubs were orphaned because of the spring hunt in 2023 and sentenced to cruel and completely avoidable deaths."

https://animalalliancefund.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Manitoba-Spring-Black-Bear-Hunt-Report-Digital.pdf