The supporters of the bear hunting referendum have constantly brought forth the bear baiting issue. They have made it sound as if the woods are full of hunters dropping jelly doughnuts and other sweets to entice bear. They’ve made claims that it even affects the bears’ breeding cycle. One person even stated that if baiting were to be suspended, that bear populations would actually decrease by returning to normal breeding levels.

This is absurd. It is a non-biological, non-scientific, extremely foolish statement. Only one of many these people have made.

Eighty percent of the bear harvested are taken over bait. Without baiting, trapping and hound-hunting, the state could not maintain its quota to keep a healthy population. Within five years, bear would double their population, according to a biologist with the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department.

A yearlong study by the Management Assistance Team of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies reported, “Maine’s approach to wildlife management is highly regarded. They have by far the best planning process and have innovated an approach that develops management systems that chronicle how species will be managed. No other state has such an advanced approach.”

So I ask – who should voters trust with the management of our bears and wildlife, the Humane Society of the United States, with all its baggage from out of state, or the trained professionals (biologists) of our wildlife department?

Albert Ladd, Byron