If I were you I wouldn't bother travelling anywhere!
Bracebridge area is far enough North there should be MORE than enough bears around, and far enough South that you'll be set for deer too!
Since you're asking for a place to hunt, I imagine you actually live right IN Bracebridge, and don't own any property around there. So if I were you, I'd start scouting. My favorite scouting tool is Google Earth. But If you don't want to download it, Google maps has the same satelite imagery, but in a smaller screen.
I'm looking at the Bracebridge area right now, and from what I can see, there is only high definition imagery for the areas North and West of the city. Right off the bat, I'll say that the fields just outside of the city, (North of the river & South of Hwy 118) look like a great spot to bow-hunt for deer, but Probably too close to the town for guns. If you bow-hunt you should check with the farmers who own the property, ask if anyone hunts, if not, ask permission, and even ask where they typically see deer!
If that's a little too close to town for you, scan google maps, and find a spot that looks more to your liking. This is how I've found the hunting area where I go for deer now. I have a little over 600 solid acres (70% bush, 30% fields) owned by a farmer & his neighbour, a 10 minute drive from my house. The best part is I'm the only person who hunts there. This is in an area where the public lands are a SEA of Orange in the fall
So I'm a firm believer that you just need to put a little leg work into finding a spot.
For bears, I do pretty much the same thing. I prefer a spot that's pretty secluded, but still accessable. I like to walk the last couple Kms to my stand while hunting, but I have to be able to bring bait in to within at least 300 metres with my quad. Find a piece of public land that allows hunting, and set up a bait. Even without google, you can find a good spot. Just look at any road maps, you'll see areas well outside of towns where there are a lot of green roads that just "disappear." These usually don't actually disappear, and if you go exploring for them you'll find that most are drivable, at least enough to get you into the woods. Not only that, but these roads are also travelled by the critters you're after. When I'm driving up & down logging roads I routinely see big black piles, left by a passing bear. A bonus to exploring the logging roads is that you will always find new areas to go shooting. People always cut areas out for ranges, and as long as you only have non-restricteds, it's perfectly legal on crown land.
Hope this helps, Cheers.
Tim H
