Current bear hunting practices are humane, effective

Decisions on wildlife management laws should be based on science, not on a popular vote.

First of all, we should listen to the wildlife biologists and let them make policy for managing the resources that are their livelihood. When deer or moose populations are down, they adjust hunting laws and permits to help maintain a healthy population.

There were a few errors in the mailing supporting a “yes” vote on Question 1. The mailing features a picture of a mother bear and cub. No responsible hunter would ever shoot a female bear, especially one with a cub. Fair hunting and responsible hunting are two different things. How will eliminating the method used by 93 percent of bear hunters create more hunting license sales? How will decreasing the number of bears taken reduce the number of nuisance bears?

OK, if we don’t bait bears there will be less “junk food” in the woods. I will give you that one. But where will that food go? Into a landfill? Is that really better? I also question the “millions of pounds” figure. When was the last time you actually saw a bear bait site? Probably never, because the law requires bait sites to be a given distance from where people live. Anyone who lives in a rural area and has bird feeders or puts their trash out is technically baiting bear.

I would also concede that trapping with leg hold traps and the use of dogs could be considered to be cruel, but that only accounts for 3 percent of all bear taken in the state.

By hunting over bait, hunters are able to position themselves for a clean kill and better identify their target and make sure it is not a mother with cubs. That’s better than taking a shot at a bear moving through dense brush. You could argue that it is not fair, but it is responsible because there is less chance of wounding a bear and having a wounded bear wander around until it eventually dies from infection ”“ now that would be cruel. Or, as it is implied that bear are routinely shot in residential areas you would have the possibility of a wounded bear wandering into a school yard full of children. Why don’t you want to protect children?

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