Voters will soon have a chance to end three cruel hunting practices for Maine’s black bears: baiting, trapping and hounding. To clarify, the ballot question does not seek to end bear hunting, but rather to eliminate unnecessary methods. 

Ethical hunting and sound science are important for the management of our natural resources. However, can we truly justify utilizing all three of these inhumane methods when Maine is the last state to do so? I believe we need to ask ourselves why these practices are still being employed. Do we need them to “control” the bear population, or do we continue to allow them because they have been in place for so long?

Baiting lures bears to specific sites for an easy kill. Mother bears of young cubs are particularly vulnerable because of the attraction to calorie-dense foods. I have heard the argument that bears are difficult to hunt, so the bait allows the hunter to narrow down the area he/she will have to search. How is this considered hunting if the prey is coming to the hunter?

Traps brutally restrain bears, who may suffer for hours while waiting for a hunter to return. Again, how is this fair chase hunting when an animal is immobilized?

To escape being chased by dogs, bears may turn to face them or climb trees. This can result in fatal injuries for bears and hunting dogs. For those bears that do make it to the “safety” of the trees, they become easy targets for the hunters. 

Please consider voting “yes” in November to prohibit the cruel use of bait, traps and dogs when hunting bears. Together we can demonstrate compassion and help alleviate cruelty.

Tammy Cloutier, Kennebunk