PORTLAND — The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife may advocate for the defeat of a ballot question that asks voters to change the way bears are hunted in Maine, a Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday. Superior Court Justice Joyce Wheeler rejected an injunction request filed by Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting. The group, which […]
bear hunting
Posted inLetters
C. Glazier: Unintended consequences
The biologists and game wardens employed by the state of Maine are recommending that bear hunting in Maine should remain as it is. That includes the long-held practice of using bait. If that makes sense to people who know such things, why should Maine residents vote to change it? Is there something going on that […]
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Posted inLetters
L. Lyons: Baiting isn’t hunting
The definition of hunting is: To chase or search for, to scour in pursuit of game. The definition of baiting is: To entice by deception or trickery as to entrap or destroy; to set dogs upon an animal for sport. Placing a bunch of stale Twinkies and doughnuts in the woods in order to shoot […]
Posted inLetters
E. Kelley: Selectmen got it wrong
A few weeks ago, the Wilton Board of Selectmen made statements to the press opposing the referendum on bear hunting. They also made false claims about bear biology and the economic impact of the bear hunting referendum. The selectmen making those statements are out of touch with the facts, as well as out of touch […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Fred Rolfe: The sad reality behind Question 1
Question 1 — what is it really all about? The intent of the referendum is clearly to eliminate bear hunting and, ultimately, all hunting in Maine. The organization behind the question is supported by and funded almost entirely by the out-of-state “animal rights” organization known as The Humane Society of the United States — a […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Robert Goldman: Stop terrorizing, persecuting these majestic animals
The people of Maine are being told by the governor’s appointed director of the state’s wildlife agency and biologists who answer to their boss, that feeding wild black bears 7 million pounds of junk food every year, chasing them through the woods with GPS-collared hound dogs and then shooting these terrified bears out of a […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Bethel
11-year-old boy bags 502-pound bear in Bethel
BETHEL — Eleven-year-old Steven Myers Jr. of New Jersey has advice for anyone taking a shot at a 502-pound black bear. “Practice,” the young hunter said. On Monday, Myers shot and killed a 502-pound bruin, one of the largest bagged in Maine in the past two years, a state bear biologist said. Bruce Myers, the […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
As tagging stations report solid bait season, biologists say bears will head to dens soon
As what could be the final bear hunting with bait season comes to a close Saturday, representatives at tagging stations across the state say that it’s been a solid four-week hunt and they’ve seen some large bears. The general bear hunting season began on Aug. 25 and continues until Nov. 29; however, bait can only […]
Posted inLocal & State
Humane Society CEO goes door to door in Bangor to solicit support to ban ‘inhumane, unsporting bear hunting practices’
BANGOR — The heated debate over whether to ban baiting, trapping and hounding in Maine brought the head of the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the protection of animals to Bangor on Saturday. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, went door to door in a Bangor neighborhood with […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Bear trapping season begins 2 months before vote that could can the hunting method
PORTLAND — Bear trapping season begins about two months before a state-wide referendum that could ban the hunting method. The state’s bear trapping season runs from Monday to Oct. 31. Trapping bears is one of three hunting methods voters could choose to ban in a November vote. The other two methods are hunting with bait […]