The logic used by opponents to fair chase bear hunting is puzzling at best.

They simultaneously argue that without unsportsmanlike methods for finding bears, the bears will (1) be impossible to locate and (2) overtake the state.

So, will the bears be everywhere (which is unlikely) or will they be nowhere?

If the bears will be everywhere, wouldn’t this give sportsmen a greater opportunity for fair chase bear hunting?

A “yes” vote on the referendum is far less likely to bring bears to people’s garbage cans than the practice of bear baiting itself, which gives bears a taste for human food and grows the population.

Baiting season just began and for 30 days bears will be trained to visit sites stocked with human foods — stale pastries, rotting meat, hard candies, popcorn, molasses and more.

Providing 7 million pounds of unnaturally calorie-dense food by baiting grows the bear population and puts bears on the lookout for more human food, increasing the likelihood of human/bear encounters.

A “yes” vote in November will restore fair chase and remove the bizarre exemption from Maine law for providing grotesque amounts of human food to wildlife.

Cheryl Avis, Litchfield

Copy the Story Link