Supporters of Question 2, which would ban certain bear hunting methods, have good intentions. Unfortunately, as we see it, they are also wrong.

Voters should vote no on the referendum.

Question 2, if passed, would make it illegal to shoot bears over bait, hunt them with dogs or use traps. The question’s backers offer three main arguments for doing away with these methods. First, they say, there’s no scientific reason to allow them. Second, the methods are unusually cruel, inhumane and don’t stand up to the ethical code of “fair chase” hunting. Finally, the methods represent an exploitation of Maine’s wildlife by out-of-state trophy hunters.

In addition, proponents of Question 2 tell us not to trust the information provided by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and its bear biologists because they are dependent upon revenue from the hunting and fishing communities.

On all scores, we find fault.

Maine’s bear biologists have built a model program that other states try to emulate. They have tagged and tracked more than 2,000 bears since 1975, and between 40 and 78 radio-collared bears are tracked each year. The state’s program started monitoring the bear hunt in 1969 and is considered one of the most thorough in the country. We believe the state scientists are credible.

Maine has the largest population of black bears on the East Coast, estimated at about 23,000. According to biologists, between 3,500 and 4,000 bears need to be killed each year to maintain a stable population, which was established after studying how large a bear population the state could reasonably support without creating tension between the animals and people.

In 2003, 13,236 hunters purchased bear permits and 3,900 bears were taken. Of those, 3,128 were shot over bait. Hunters using dogs took another 450 bears, and 130 bears were taken using traps. Deer hunters, who are also allowed to kill bears, accounted for 192.

If Question 2 were to pass, it would be almost impossible for hunters to kill enough bears to keep the population stable. Over time, the bear population would increase, as would interactions between the animals and people.

Bear hunting – even using bait, dogs and traps – is difficult. Less than 30 percent of bear hunters were successful in 2003. In other years, the rate has been around 25 percent. In states that have banned baiting and hounding, the success rate for hunters has fallen into the single digits.

Baiting, of the three methods, is the most important tool the state has to manage its bear population and accounts for about 80 percent of the annual harvest.

It’s true that many bear hunters come to Maine from away. But they do more than hunt bears while they are here. An economic impact study from 1988 estimated that bear hunting brings about $12 million into the state. A study completed this year by University of Maine economist Charles Colgan, paid for by opponents of Question 2, estimates a $62 million yearly impact.

Questions have been raised about the methods used in the research, but common sense recognizes that bear hunting does draw hunters to the state. It is part of the delicate revenue puzzle many struggling communities have pulled together to survive. Bear hunters spend money, even if it is less than $62 million per year, and they help create jobs.

For people unfamiliar with hunting, the emotionally charged claim that baiting, hounding and trapping are cruel and inhumane may be convincing. Supporters of the bill have been successful in creating an image of Yogi being shot over a picnic basket.

Many of us have built a wall around ourselves and the process that brings food to our tables. We are not immune to the ugly thought of a bear caught in a leg trap, struggling to break free. But traps account for only about 2 percent of all bears taken in Maine. Hunting, as with much domestic food production, requires killing. Often, the process is not pleasant to watch.

Discussions about what is fair chase and ethical hunting are tough. People take how they hunt and how they interact with wildlife very seriously, as seriously as others take issues such as abortion or the death penalty. Even if we are uncomfortable with trapping, we are not prepared to say these methods are unethical.

Maine’s rules for bear hunting already allow deer hunters, who number about 170,000, to take bears. But they account for only about 6 percent of the harvest. The most effective way to manage the bear population is to allow hunting over bait. It keeps the bear population stable, brings revenue into the state and helps to limit the confrontations between bears and people.

For those reasons, we urge voters to reject Question 2.