RE: MAINE ... hsus to push anti bear hunting initiative
Some very interesting information is in that article. For instance the following figures:
BEAR KILLS
23,000: Estimated bear population in Maine, according to Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
4,000: Estimated number of bears killed during the fall season. Most were shot over bait.
400: Estimated number of bears taken by hunters using dogs.
Fewer than 100: Estimated number of bears trapped.
A few hundred were killed by unaided hunters.
Many people would agree with this group' s description of hunting over bait or with dogs as being unsporting and inhumane. Many hunters share that same sentiment. However when you weigh the following excerpt into the matter...
But bear hunters, guides and even the state' s bear biologist, Randy Cross, believe the practice is necessary to control the size of the bear population. Maine' s thick forest and black bears' natural reclusiveness make the animals difficult to hunt.
" The end of the bait hunt in Maine is the end of bear management in Maine," Cross said Tuesday.
....and you can see the logical use of the tactics. This style of hunting clashes somewhat with the traditional idea of hunting as a sporting activity where hunter vs hunted is a test of skill done in a fair but somewhat difficult manner. If similar tactics were proposed by deer hunters they would be labeled as bloodthirsty killers or harvesters of animals rathet than hunters. The so called " canned hunts" come to mind. I have seen countless people on this BB demonize those outfits as being inhumane and unfair and NOT hunting at all. Go figure.
As for me personally, I see the logic behind the use of the tactics from a management standpoint. From the standpoint of a hunter it leaves me somewhat unsure although I might very well try bear over bait sometime as I have never hunted bear at all. The manner in which the majority of hunters go after moose is similar in that most travel the logging roads trying to spot them out in the cutoffs or the swamps simply getting out of the vehicle, stepping off the road and shooting the moose. I expect this technique would get similar backing from the state for the same reason that bear over bait or bear with dogs is supported. That technique still evokes much debate amongst hunters as well.
Perhaps it comes down to what hunting really is. Is it a sport as I mentioned some believe it to be where you test the skills of the hunter/predator vs the game animal or is it simply the going out into the field and taking game animals in whatever manner you choose that is most effective for you so long as it complies with the laws of your state? Do you think the attitude of what hunting is has changed from the attitude of hunters 100, 200 or 300 years ago?
An interesting topic with answers and opinions probably varied from one individual to the next.
Maine Hunter
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