Can Maine change the way it hunts bear?
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

Hunters disagree.

Ever since he was 10, George Cayer of Rumford has hunted black bear in Maine. That’s 32 years of bear hunting.

In all that time, whether he was hunting over bait, with hounds, or while hunting deer, Cayer has bagged only seven bear.

“They’re such a secretive animal that they’re very hard to hunt, period,” Cayer said.

William Randall of East Winthrop says hunting bear over bait is like shooting a pig in a barrel.

Randall, 68, has been bear hunting and bear trapping for 44 years.

He has hunted bear over bait, typically doughnuts or bacon grease. “It’s hard to imagine a less sporting way to shoot a bear,” Randall said.

A Maine ballot referendum in November will ask: “Do you want to make it a crime to hunt bears with bait, traps, or dogs, except to protect property, public safety, or for research?”

Forces as powerful as the Humane Society of the United States are backing the proposal. Maine Gov. John Baldacci and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine are opposed.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being gathered to advertise for and against the proposed change.

Meanwhile, millions of dollars are at stake for the state’s economy. Referendum opponents like the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, claim the state will lose a bundle if the measure is approved.

More than 200,000 people hunt in Maine each year, and those hunters generate nearly $500 million in economic activity, said Maine Bear Project leader Jennifer Vashon.

“It particularly supports rural economies,” she said.

Referendum proponents contend more people will want to hunt bears, especially nonresidents, who primarily hire guides to improve their success rates. They also pay license fees much higher than in-state hunters.

Since 1979, about two-thirds of the bears harvested in Maine are taken by nonresidents, according to the department.

Managing

Biologists disagree about bear baiting, too.

State wildlife department biologists say that hunting bear over bait is their best method for managing bear populations.

Vashon cited research showing that bear populations can be sustained with a harvest between 3,500 to 4,000 bears annually.

“With our current 13-week fall season and the various methods we use to hunt bears, we are able to maintain our statewide bear population at 23,000 bears by harvesting an average of 3,712 black bears each year,” Vashon said last month.

About 78 percent of Maine bears are harvested during the bait season, 10 percent with the aid of dogs, 2 percent by trapping, and the remainder by “still-hunting.”

Still-hunting involves stalking bears through the woods or finding a natural food source, like an oak grove or cluster of nut-producing beech trees, and waiting for bears to arrive.

Bait bans

Colorado bear biologist Tom Beck claims that bear baiting only creates nuisance bears. Nuisance bears are those that have learned to associate people with food. As they become habituated to humans and lose their fear, they become bold and aggressive in getting or defending human-associated food.

Colorado voters banned bear baiting in 1992. Massachusetts banned it in 1996. Other states banning hunting bear over bait include Oregon in 1994 and Washington State in 1996.

In Washington State, a government biologist attributed an increased bear harvest since the ban to a longer hunting season and cheaper permits.

Vashon said Maine’s black bear was once regarded as a pest species. That’s why it had a bounty on its head until 1957.

She believes the loss of hunting bear over bait would limit the department’s ability to meet the population management goals.

“If forced to amend the traditional bear hunting methods that we currently use, the department will have to review our current hunting season structure to determine if we can harvest the 3,500 to 4,000 bears necessary for maintaining bears at 23,000,” Vashon said.

Changes might include a longer season, establishing new seasons, increasing the number of bears that can be taken per hunter or some combination of those changes.

“If we are unable to meet our harvest goal, the bear population will begin to grow, and conflicts between bears and people will increase,” she said.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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