To the editor:
Did you know Maine’s current bear hunting laws allow hunters to target pregnant bears and cubs? Or that Maine is the only state in the nation that still allows three of the most inhumane and unsporting bear hunting practices — trapping, baiting, and hounding? Even more — hounding (chasing down bear with a pack of dogs) — can result in dogs being mauled or killed. This is worse than the cruel practice (sport?) of pitting dogs against each other. What chance does a dog have against a bear? It has a guaranteed victim presence and it is a cruel, inhumane death trap. This cruel death trap is the issue we are fighting against.
It is time for Maine to enact long-overdue fair protections for Maine’s bears. I’ve joined animal lovers all across the country in standing up for fair chase rights in Maine. Will you join me? To learn more about this issue, check out The Facts: fairbearhunt.com/facts. Learn who some of the defenders of the FAIR Bear Hunting issue really are.
There are a lot of wildlife management people supporting a ban on these cruel practices. We support bear hunting, but are repulsed by the baiting, hounding and trapping issue. It is unsporting, unfair, cheap and lazy hunting. Where has sportsmanship gone? States that have supported this fair issue are still supporting the issue and it is working for bear population management in their area.
Please do not believe the lies being printed about the Fair Bear Hunting Initiative. These people are poisoning the issue to keep you from researching for the truth and to protect their own pocketbooks. Check it out — follow the money. We have nothing to hide and nothing to gain by this measure, but we will simply sleep better at night knowing we have tried our best to outlaw cruel and unsporting hunting practices of bears in Maine.
Norma B. Milton
Caribou
