Bear hunting under fire
Hunting a Maine tradition that deserves protection
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
I am writing in response to Richard Smith's column, "Time for Fair Bear Hunts," about the bear hunting referendum that could appear on the 2004 ballot.
Smith starts by denying that this is the first step in banning all hunting in the state of Maine. Well, here is a direct quote from Wayne Pacelle, the vice president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), who is sponsoring the bill in Maine: "We are going to use the ballot box and democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States. We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California, then we will take it state by state."
This is a pretty scary statement to anyone who enjoys hunting in the State of Maine, or makes their living as a guide like myself. The HSUS has also expressed interest in banning the sport of fishing once they are done with hunting.
Mr. Smith next goes on to bash the use of bait and hound hunting for bears as unsportsmanlike, making it sound like you just dump some garbage out in any old spot in the woods and wait for Mr. Bear to stick his head in a barrel so you can blast him. Or that any old hound dog can chase a bear up a tree. After reading this, it is obvious that Smith knows nothing about bear hunting.
Bait hunting is an extreme test of patience. You must be able to sit motionless for hours on end, making sure that you are as odor-free as possible. Bears have a sense of smell comparable to nothing else in the Maine woods. With any foreign smells near the bait site, the bears will just wait until the hunter leaves to feed. Mr. Smith states that with the use of bait, guides can guarantee the hunter a trophy bear. This is a far cry from the truth.
Most all trophy bears are way too smart to be shot over bait. The state average with bait is 120-150 pounds. For instance, last week we took ten hunters. Two harvested bears. Some enjoyed watching sows with cubs feeding. Some watched bears that were not large enough for them to shoot and all just enjoyed getting away from the big city life and fast-paced lifestyles they lead and enjoying the quiet woods of Maine. To them, harvesting an animal or catching fish is only a part of the Maine experience, and many of us full-time guides enjoy treating clients to this.
Next, Mr. Smith bashes the fact that 80% of our bears are shot by non-resident hunters. I would call this a great statistic. If it were not for them, there would be no Maine guides. As guides, we bring people from other states to Maine to harvest our bears along with deer, coyotes, bobcats, rabbits, etc. The list goes on and on. All of these activities generate neededrevenue for the little towns of the northern and Downeast parts of the state.
Mr. Smith, being from Brunswick, where there is plenty of money to go around, evidently does not realize this. Bear hunting in Maine generates over 12 million dollars a year, most of which is spent in these far-away places. Last week, four of our hunters sat down and figured out how much they had spent —$1,900.00 was spent at the Pine Tree Store in Grand Lake Stream just in food, clothing and souvenirs for their kids back home in New York. This same scenario is played out all over northern Maine in September every year.
Mr. Smith later goes on to say that baiting is not needed to control our present bear population. I guess he knows more about bear management that Craig McLaughlin, or state bear biologist, Randy Cross, who both stated that without bait hunting all management in Maine will be lost. This is coming from the guys who study bears and bear management every day. Maine has between 22,000-25,000 bears at present, and between all forms of hunting and trapping we are harvesting about 3,000 bears per season, and everything remains stabilized with the target population and harvest numbers being achieved.
A little common sense would tell most that if it's not broke, don't fix it. If we lose the bear hunting we will have bears parading down the streets of northern and Downeast Maine, tearing down bird feeders, camp doors and anything else they decide might taste good. Mr. Smith blames this on commercial guides because we now feed them donuts and other things.
I guess before bear baiting got big in Maine we never had any nuisance bears around, they all just stayed in the woods like good little bears. Wrong. In the old days, if a bear were causing problems someone would just open his camp door and shoot the problem. This does not happen anymore. Once the bear population skyrockets to uncontrollable numbers, there will most likely be a big die-off due to starvation. Again, if it's not broke, don't fix it.
The people behind the possible bear referendum are very organized and determined to put us out of business. They have campaigned for bear hunting and trapping bans in four states: Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon and California, and won in all four.
Most of their campaigns are filled with lies and deception, which triggers votes in their favor on Election Day. It is also a huge money-maker for them. In Massachusetts alone, they raised $4 million and only spent $1 million on their campaign, then split while the getting was good and landed in Maine to do it again.
We must stop them. I would hate to think about raising my kids and not being able to take them out for a Saturday rabbit hunt or watch them shoot their first deer. It is a scary thought but a very real one. I urge all of you to use a little common sense come Election Day 2004, vote to keep bear hunting alive and well in Maine. Let the people of Maine manage our wildlife and age old traditions not some anti-hunter from another state with a big wallet.
Paul Laney is a Registered Maine Guide who lives in Gardiner.