Voters should trust biologists, not activists on bear hunting

I am writing to urge Maine voters to listen to the biologists, not the activists. It is important that Maine not let outside interest groups influence us; it is important to make decisions based on rationality instead of emotions; and it is important that Maine not attack an industry that contributes a great deal to our economy.

A couple of facts: Only about 2 percent of hunters are successful when still-hunting or stalking bears, since the bears move very quietly and much faster than one would think; on average, 30 percent of hunters are successful with bait and hounds; and on average, only 20 percent of trappers are successful. These are all numbers off of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s own website. You will notice that none of these tactics even approaches a 50 percent success rate.

I’m not sure what “Fair Bear Hunting” thinks will happen if our hunters are unable to effectively control Maine’s bear population. Would they prefer the bears starve? Get hit by cars? That people get injured when bears are forced to come into town looking for food? That is their idea of humane? The answer is they have no plan for dealing with outcomes. The appearance of “caring” for our bears is what’s important to them. Their strategy seems to be to deny that there will be any negative outcomes of their proposals.

In actuality, we need more bear hunters. Since 2005, there has been a decrease in the number of hunters, and this has led to a slight increase in human to bear contact. Prior to 2005, there were, on average, 400 contacts a year. That number has risen to an average of 500. This number is still far lower than other Eastern states, a clear indicator that the strategies of our state’s biologists and wardens are working. Why should we change them? So we, too, can have more than 1,000 bear contacts a year ”“ the average for some other Eastern states with bear populations?

That fact is that there is no reason whatsoever to change our bear hunts. Think of the guides, the shops, the butchers and all the other participating businesses that contribute to our state’s economy. Think of the bears themselves, and the sad state they would be in if their population grew unchecked. In November, I urge Mainers to say no to out-of-state interest groups and their irrational arguments.

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