The biggest reason Maine allows baiting as an ethical way to hunt is because we over 73% forested. Those forests are very thick and make stocking a bear nearly impossible. Also there would be now way to tell if it is a sow or a sow that has cubs. Hunting over bait offers a selection and even then bait does not work the way one thinks. At times bears will only hit at night past legal hunting hours or change and go after nuts, berries and the like. These guys spend hours upon hours trying to bait and get ready for a bear and nothing happens to a large portion of them..