AUGUSTA – Less than three years after voters rejected a referendum to restrict bear hunting in Maine, a Blue Hill legislator has introduced a bill that targets bear trapping.

“An Act to Prohibit Recreational Bear Trapping” (LD 1635) by state Rep. James Schatz would abolish the open season on trapping bears, but would allow for it solely for scientific research, animal control or public safety.

“I do believe it’s time to have it happen,” Schatz said. “I’m not looking at interfering with hunting traditions. I’m looking at this as a tradition that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Bear trappers use cable foot snares and large culvert-type, live-trapping devices, the same two methods used by state biologists and wardens, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesman Mark Latti said Thursday.

After the 2004 referendum, the department banned the use of large steel-jawed foothold traps and reduced the number of traps a hunter can use from two to one.

Schatz said he filed the bill on behalf of constituents who believe it would be more successful on its own rather than joined with other bills attempting to ban bear hunting in the state.

“I didn’t want to make any political fuss, but I haven’t heard from anyone against it,” Schatz said.

According to George Smith, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, sportsmen intend to turn out in force against it on May 1 at the Augusta Civic Center during a public hearing on LD 1635 by the Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The Maine Trappers Association, through its Web site, is also drumming up opposition, stating, “It is imperative that we have a large turnout of supporters.”

“I’m expecting a big crowd, that’s why they’re moving it to the civic center, but I’m disappointed because the people of Maine have already decided this,” Smith said Thursday of the 2004 rejection of bear trapping by voters.

“It’s going to be a big hearing. We can’t take anything for granted anymore. We’re pretty disappointed, but the fight goes on,” he said.

But Schatz said he wasn’t gunning for a fight. He also didn’t seek any co-sponsors.

“I worry about it being seen as a hunting bill. Bear hunting’s just fine. This is to end bear trapping, not hunting. I didn’t want to burden anybody with it, just submit it and let the committee deal with it,” he said.

The Bangor-based group behind the bill, according to their Web site, is the Wildlife Alliance of Maine.

“Our bill does not take away the use of traps for scientific study nor for public safety,” the site states. “It simply mandates, as every other state in the United States has, that trapping and killing a bear for fun, or whatever other misguided reason one would take part in this act, be made illegal.”

According to the Wildlife Alliance, “the recreational trapping of bears is wholly unnecessary and serves no population management function.”

Latti agreed, in part.

“Biologically, it doesn’t impact the bear population, but there’s still many people who enjoy trapping in Maine. That’s why we have a bear trapping season,” Latti said.

The department uses hunting to manage Maine’s bear population, keeping it at around 23,000.

Of the 2,873 bears killed by hunters in 2005, trappers accounted for 4 percent, or 130 bears, according to a 2006 management report by department wildlife biologist Jennifer Vashon, who oversees the bear and lynx programs.