Maine’s hunters took a public beating during the debate over Question 2 on the ballot.

The initiative would have banned the hunting of bears using bait, traps and hounds.

The measure failed, but in the hard-fought battle, Maine’s bear hunters were painted by supporters of the question as cruel, inhuman, lazy and ruthless. When an advertising campaign paints with such a wide brush, a lot of people are covered, many of them unfairly.

There is a legitimate debate that must take place about what ethical hunting practices are, but most hunters – including those who hunt bears – act responsibly and carefully.

More than 170,000 Mainers were licensed to hunt in 2003. Their techniques and targets vary from small game and birds to deer and moose. These men, women and children play an important role in helping to balance animal populations while being good stewards of both public and private lands.

Deer season opened in Maine with a youth day on Oct. 23. Maine residents took to the woods on Oct. 30, and all hunters were allowed in Nov. 1. The hunt continues until Nov. 27 for firearms and until Dec. 11 for bow hunters in the state’s expanded archery season.

In 2003, about 30,000 deer were killed, out of a total estimated population of 230,000 deer. Hunters had a success rate of about 18 percent. As anyone who’s ever spent a cold November day in the woods hunting deer can attest, it’s hard and often uncomfortable work that usually ends in frustration.

The annual deer hunt is the most effective way to control the rapidly growing deer population in many parts of the state. In urban areas, increased deer populations are leading to the spread of Lyme disease, which is spread by deer ticks. In two of the state’s most populous counties, Cumberland and York, the rate of infection has increased from 3 or 4 cases per year in 1993, to 29 and 93 cases, respectively, in 2003.

Controlling the expanding deer herd, especially in urban and suburban communities, has become a public health issue.

Deer-car collisions have accounted for about 19,500 crashes since 1999 and three fatalities.

And the animals, many of which are born and mature in a town environment, have lost their inhibitions around people and can become destructive pests.

There are more than 1,700 hunters in Lewiston; Auburn has about 1,500. There are a 1,000 in Turner, and another 950 in Farmington. They are our neighbors, friends and classmates.

Even though the ballot question on bear hunting was defeated, the general reputation of hunters was damaged. Now’s a good time to start healing those scars and recognize the important part the state’s hunters play in a healthy, biologically diverse ecosystem.