Phil from Maine

I do not hunt bears because I do not like the meat.. I do have friends that hunt as well as guide other hunters as well.. Hunting bear with bait is legal here and it should be IMO.. The bears are not dragged to the bait and tied up there for someone to shoot.. That is hardly the case at all.. In fact some bears will not even come close to the bait at all. Some will only at night as they are nocturnal in nature. We have our problems with problem bears coming into towns and getting into trash cans and attacking farm animals ect...
The woods is thick up here for the most part and to even see a bear without baiting you are lucky. Let alone a cub that could be hiding close by and you shoot the sow without knowing about the cub or cubs.. The cubs wouldn't make it threw thier first winter up here. So hunting over bait you get to be more selective. You get to see the cubs most of the time showing up at the bait before mom comes along.. Also a lot of the hunters being guided like to wait for a big bear to show itself before shooting any at all. This year was a great year for baiting as there was no berries for them to eat. Still alot of hunters saw all kinds of bears but went home empty handed because of wanting to get that big bruiser instead.. Some have heard that big bruiser snapping his jaws and never showed itself. Those folks were scared out of thier wits about those experiences. They would call the guide back in to help them get out of there because of all the noise the bear was making. He just wouldn't show himself..
So the idea of it being simple and easy is not what it is all about at all.. But to each thier own in how they choose to hunt.. Some use dogs to run them with up here as well.. Some dogs get killed and others will have a bear treed.. It is still the same though for as far as being selective about it..

Exactly the way it is.. United we stand and apart we all fall...