Voting yes on Question 2 (banning baiting, trapping, and hounding of bears) will not affect hunting in Maine because Question 2 is not an anti-hunting referendum.

The passing of this bill does nothing to prevent hunting bear by fair methods; nor does it interfere with what wildlife biologists call nuisance animal control. Economically powerful opponents of the bear referendum have utilized anti-hunting propaganda as a scare tactic to help further their political agenda and to divert us from the real issue, which is whether or not the voters of Maine want to continue to support needless animal suffering.

The three practices: the use of steel traps, hunting with radio-collared dogs and bear baiting are cruel and unnecessary ways to kill bears. Maine is the only state left in the country that still allows all three.

The third practice, bear baiting, is used by guides who lure out-of-state trophy hunters into Maine for a “sure kill.” Setting out sticky foods like old doughnuts before the season opens, the bear becomes acclimated to the free food. It is then shot from a tree stand or from a blind often while its head is stuck in a can.

Although I am not a hunter, I have many friends who do hunt responsibly, and I am hoping that Maine will choose to preserve its tradition of ethical hunting practices by voting yes on Question 2 instead of succumbing to the pressure to continue to support needless animal suffering.

Sara Wright, Greenwood