Maine bear referendum
12-27-2003, 11:33 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Endicott NY
Posts: 219
Maine bear referendum
Hunters unite we need to fight this or it could be the end of the hunting industry in Maine. I don't know the site but I'm sureif you punch in maine bear Referendum on any serch engine you'll find it.
12-28-2003, 07:42 PM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 20
RE: Maine bear referendum
I live in maine and am planning on starting bear hunting for the first time next year. evrybody needs to do something write letters e-mails etc. i do not understand what people are thinking by stopping bear bating. the state needs to kill 3000 and 3500 bears to keep the population in check. last year only about 50 bears were killed by means other then baiting, with dogs and trapping. they would have to do something different if they stop baiting hunting with dogs or trapping, like longer seasons, bigger bag limits and/or a spring bear hunt.
12-30-2003, 08:17 PM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 22
RE: Maine bear referendum
Here is the link to the referendum
http://www.samcef.org/bear_referendum_information.htm
hope this is ok if its not allowed please remove it for me
http://www.samcef.org/bear_referendum_information.htm
hope this is ok if its not allowed please remove it for me
12-31-2003, 09:24 AM
#4
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location:
Posts: 87
RE: Maine bear referendum
Here is a start to my debunking of the BS spewed by the anti bear hunters.
Here are some of their comments that they have made on their website about baited bears being a nusiance, followed by my current rebuttal as of December 31, 2003 to such.
Nuisance
Baiting creates nuisance animals. Conditioning bears and other wild animals to human food sources inevitably leads to an increase in camp site raids and other conflicts between wild animals and humans. A conditioned or habituated animal that loses its natural fear of people, often becomes a pest or a threat to human safety, and is sometimes killed. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management warn the public not to feed bears, yet they permit baiting on federal lands in states that allow it. This inconsistent policy should be corrected
Baiting and Hounding Create Nuisance Animals
Providing human food encourages bears to be a nuisance; the baited bears that are not killed have become accustomed to human food sources. These animals will seek other human foods and become a nuisance.
Most responsible land managers warn the public to “never feed bears,” yet that’s precisely what baiters do.
** My Debunk **
There are some very significant differences between those who feed bears by tossing out food scraps at places like campgrounds or leave their household garbage accessable versus those who use bait to hunt bears.
One significant difference deals with the location.
When wildlife officials advise the public against feeding bears, it is usually because of bears that are already in relative close proximity to places where humans may be congregated.
However, when you bait a bear, you attract the animal to a specific location within its natural environment. Which is usually in a remote wooded area. Not into people's backyards or public campgrounds.
According to research I've conducted, in 1996 over half the bears harvested in Maine were taken from unorganized townships with little or no human population. In Aroostook country, Maine's largest in area and which usually accounts the most bears, only about 58 of the appx. 705 bears taken in 1996 came from towns with public campgrounds.
In addition there are already regulations in place involving the the location of bait stations to help ensure that bears which may attracted to bait do not pose a risk to homeowners and campground patrons.
These regulations state that ...
Bait may not be used to hunt or trap black bear unless:
The bait is placed at least 50 yards from any travel way that is accessible by a conventional 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicle;
The bait is placed more than 500 yards from any solid waste disposal site or campground;
The bait is placed more than 500 yards from an occupied dwelling, unless written permission is granted by the owner or leasee;
The stand, blind, or bait area is plainly labeled with a 2 inch by 4 inch tag with the name and address of the baiter;
The law also requires that the bait area be " cleaned up " following the hunting season.
----------------------
Another difference between feeding bears and baiting bears is the manner in which they are fed.
Specifically in terms of food provided intentionally.
Do the following images reflect anything familiar ?
The above images are what cause nusiance bears, not placing a pile of bait in remote areas.
Too often, due to a lack of understanding that bears are wild animals and can pose a potential danger, people, mistakingly believing that bears are cute and cuddly creatures, will not just try to feed bears, but will literally try to hand fed them, which can cause problems.
In baiting however the food items are usually placed at a distance from where the hunter will be located.
------
Another fact which dispells the myth that baiting creates nuisance bears is a compelling lack of evidence in terms of media coverage of such occurrances.
Official figures released by the state of Maine indicate that in 2001 a total of 3173 or 81.3% of the 3903 bears harvested by hunters in Maine were taken with bait.
On the morning of November 7, 2003, I did some basic research for news information on perspective problems involving bears in Maine. Using a variety of search queries such as " bear and nuisance ", " bear and garbage ", " bear and feed ", etc. I researched the online archives of Maine's largest daily newspaper, the Bangor Daily News, dating all the way back to July 1993.
Now I did find some articles relating to alleged problem bears based on my search inquiries.
But before you come to any conclusions ....
Let us first examine what I found.
Before I continue though, let me state a couple of things.
Since I only have access to brief citations, detailed information was not available. However based on the relative fact that IMO the Bangor Daily News is respectively thorough in its coverage, I would have reason to believe that if there were any serious or even semi serious issues involving bears being nusiances, that there would be some news coverage and that my research would reveal such. Having lived in the Bangor area in the past, I am familiar with the types of news stories which the Bangor Daily News includes within its pages, which usually involve detailed reports of local new that usually isn't found in publications from larger metropolitan area newspapers.
Anyhow here is what I found.
In 1994 I found 3 news reports. 1) On May 27 referring to bears foraging at bird feeders. 2) On June 8 about nusiance bears being relocated which also stated " Because there are no overwintering nuts, a high-energy food source for bears this spring in northern Maine, food-stressed bears are creating a greater incidence of complaints by visiting human-related food sources until berry crops ripen in early summer " and 3) On June 27 which stated, " A scarcity of food last fall forced the bears into their dens early and gave them fewer fat reserves to draw on during the brutal winter. "
In 1995 I found 8 news reports. 1) On May 2 which basically stated that because of the closure of a landfill, bears were seeking out alternative food sources and had supposedly raided the dumpster of a business. 2) On May 25 about an alleged bear in Brewer ( Did not specifically say that it was raiding anyone's garbage or causing problems. ), 3) On June 7 of a bear trying to enter a house ( specific location not given ), 4) On June15 warning residents to be careful about bears that were seen foraging at the Calais dump, 5) On July 11 which mentioned that bears are seeking alternate food sources do to excessive drought conditions, and 6 ) 2 reports One on July 19 and one on July 27 about a couple of bears causing problems at a farm in Cardville. The bears were raiding a supply food that was destined for the farmer's pigs.
There were no reports from 1996
In 1997 there was 1 news report on June 2, about a bear wandering through Bangor and Hampden. Again did not say that the bear had caused any problems.
In 1998 there were 2 reports. One on April 21 about a bear raiding a bird feeder in Pittsfield and another on May 30 about bears raiding trash and bird feeders.
There were no reports from 1999
In 2000 there was 1 report on April 1 about a bear scaring a couple of people at a house in Baring.
In 2001 there was 1 reports on June 1 about a bear eluding a trap in East Machias. The bear had broken through a barrier and had killed a couple of pigs.
There were no reports from 2002
That's it.
In a period covering appx. tens years, only about 16 reports.
Some of which do not even specify that bears were actually causing problems.
Now I am not saying that there have not been other incidents of perspective nuisance bears aside from those that I have listed above, and certainly the Bangor Daily News is not going to publish a story every time someone spots a bear in their back yard or finds their trash can knocked over,
but ...
A) With thousands of bears being hunted in Maine each year with bait .... why have there only been literally only a handful of nuisance bear reports in what should be considered as one of Maine's most prominent and thorough new media sources ?
and
B) With the possible exception of a 1995 incident in Cardville, why do all the incidents that I was able to find reflect calender dates that occur well before the bear baiting season ? According to 2003 bear hunting regulations, a bait station may be established no earlier than 30 days before the start of the season ( beginning August 25 ) when bears may be hunted with bait.
After all, if bear baiting causes nusiance bears, then shouldn't there be at least some media reports of such occurrances happening in August, September, and October ?
The truth as for the most common causes of nuisance bears are ...
A) Overpopulation
and
B) Lack of adequate natural food, especially during the spring months, which is well before baiting season.
Following the bear baiting season, depending on the weather and the availaibity of natural mast crops which provide for most of the bear's food intake during this time, the bears usually are ready to go into hibernation, not searching out people's garbage and becoming nuisances.
-----
The prohibiting of baiting will do little or nothing to prevent nuisance bears. Regardless of whether baiting is allowed or not, you will still have that occassional rogue bear who will visit people's back yards or a campground. The reason for this can best be explained using a quote from a former Minnesota governor which is, " You can not legislate stupidity. " There will always be the homeowner who will leave garbage accessable, and there will always be the person who will try to hand feed bears or toss out food scraps at or near a campground. Prohibiting bear baiting will do little or nothing to prevent this.
Here are some of their comments that they have made on their website about baited bears being a nusiance, followed by my current rebuttal as of December 31, 2003 to such.
Nuisance
Baiting creates nuisance animals. Conditioning bears and other wild animals to human food sources inevitably leads to an increase in camp site raids and other conflicts between wild animals and humans. A conditioned or habituated animal that loses its natural fear of people, often becomes a pest or a threat to human safety, and is sometimes killed. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management warn the public not to feed bears, yet they permit baiting on federal lands in states that allow it. This inconsistent policy should be corrected
Baiting and Hounding Create Nuisance Animals
Providing human food encourages bears to be a nuisance; the baited bears that are not killed have become accustomed to human food sources. These animals will seek other human foods and become a nuisance.
Most responsible land managers warn the public to “never feed bears,” yet that’s precisely what baiters do.
** My Debunk **
There are some very significant differences between those who feed bears by tossing out food scraps at places like campgrounds or leave their household garbage accessable versus those who use bait to hunt bears.
One significant difference deals with the location.
When wildlife officials advise the public against feeding bears, it is usually because of bears that are already in relative close proximity to places where humans may be congregated.
However, when you bait a bear, you attract the animal to a specific location within its natural environment. Which is usually in a remote wooded area. Not into people's backyards or public campgrounds.
According to research I've conducted, in 1996 over half the bears harvested in Maine were taken from unorganized townships with little or no human population. In Aroostook country, Maine's largest in area and which usually accounts the most bears, only about 58 of the appx. 705 bears taken in 1996 came from towns with public campgrounds.
In addition there are already regulations in place involving the the location of bait stations to help ensure that bears which may attracted to bait do not pose a risk to homeowners and campground patrons.
These regulations state that ...
Bait may not be used to hunt or trap black bear unless:
The bait is placed at least 50 yards from any travel way that is accessible by a conventional 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicle;
The bait is placed more than 500 yards from any solid waste disposal site or campground;
The bait is placed more than 500 yards from an occupied dwelling, unless written permission is granted by the owner or leasee;
The stand, blind, or bait area is plainly labeled with a 2 inch by 4 inch tag with the name and address of the baiter;
The law also requires that the bait area be " cleaned up " following the hunting season.
----------------------
Another difference between feeding bears and baiting bears is the manner in which they are fed.
Specifically in terms of food provided intentionally.
Do the following images reflect anything familiar ?
The above images are what cause nusiance bears, not placing a pile of bait in remote areas.
Too often, due to a lack of understanding that bears are wild animals and can pose a potential danger, people, mistakingly believing that bears are cute and cuddly creatures, will not just try to feed bears, but will literally try to hand fed them, which can cause problems.
In baiting however the food items are usually placed at a distance from where the hunter will be located.
------
Another fact which dispells the myth that baiting creates nuisance bears is a compelling lack of evidence in terms of media coverage of such occurrances.
Official figures released by the state of Maine indicate that in 2001 a total of 3173 or 81.3% of the 3903 bears harvested by hunters in Maine were taken with bait.
On the morning of November 7, 2003, I did some basic research for news information on perspective problems involving bears in Maine. Using a variety of search queries such as " bear and nuisance ", " bear and garbage ", " bear and feed ", etc. I researched the online archives of Maine's largest daily newspaper, the Bangor Daily News, dating all the way back to July 1993.
Now I did find some articles relating to alleged problem bears based on my search inquiries.
But before you come to any conclusions ....
Let us first examine what I found.
Before I continue though, let me state a couple of things.
Since I only have access to brief citations, detailed information was not available. However based on the relative fact that IMO the Bangor Daily News is respectively thorough in its coverage, I would have reason to believe that if there were any serious or even semi serious issues involving bears being nusiances, that there would be some news coverage and that my research would reveal such. Having lived in the Bangor area in the past, I am familiar with the types of news stories which the Bangor Daily News includes within its pages, which usually involve detailed reports of local new that usually isn't found in publications from larger metropolitan area newspapers.
Anyhow here is what I found.
In 1994 I found 3 news reports. 1) On May 27 referring to bears foraging at bird feeders. 2) On June 8 about nusiance bears being relocated which also stated " Because there are no overwintering nuts, a high-energy food source for bears this spring in northern Maine, food-stressed bears are creating a greater incidence of complaints by visiting human-related food sources until berry crops ripen in early summer " and 3) On June 27 which stated, " A scarcity of food last fall forced the bears into their dens early and gave them fewer fat reserves to draw on during the brutal winter. "
In 1995 I found 8 news reports. 1) On May 2 which basically stated that because of the closure of a landfill, bears were seeking out alternative food sources and had supposedly raided the dumpster of a business. 2) On May 25 about an alleged bear in Brewer ( Did not specifically say that it was raiding anyone's garbage or causing problems. ), 3) On June 7 of a bear trying to enter a house ( specific location not given ), 4) On June15 warning residents to be careful about bears that were seen foraging at the Calais dump, 5) On July 11 which mentioned that bears are seeking alternate food sources do to excessive drought conditions, and 6 ) 2 reports One on July 19 and one on July 27 about a couple of bears causing problems at a farm in Cardville. The bears were raiding a supply food that was destined for the farmer's pigs.
There were no reports from 1996
In 1997 there was 1 news report on June 2, about a bear wandering through Bangor and Hampden. Again did not say that the bear had caused any problems.
In 1998 there were 2 reports. One on April 21 about a bear raiding a bird feeder in Pittsfield and another on May 30 about bears raiding trash and bird feeders.
There were no reports from 1999
In 2000 there was 1 report on April 1 about a bear scaring a couple of people at a house in Baring.
In 2001 there was 1 reports on June 1 about a bear eluding a trap in East Machias. The bear had broken through a barrier and had killed a couple of pigs.
There were no reports from 2002
That's it.
In a period covering appx. tens years, only about 16 reports.
Some of which do not even specify that bears were actually causing problems.
Now I am not saying that there have not been other incidents of perspective nuisance bears aside from those that I have listed above, and certainly the Bangor Daily News is not going to publish a story every time someone spots a bear in their back yard or finds their trash can knocked over,
but ...
A) With thousands of bears being hunted in Maine each year with bait .... why have there only been literally only a handful of nuisance bear reports in what should be considered as one of Maine's most prominent and thorough new media sources ?
and
B) With the possible exception of a 1995 incident in Cardville, why do all the incidents that I was able to find reflect calender dates that occur well before the bear baiting season ? According to 2003 bear hunting regulations, a bait station may be established no earlier than 30 days before the start of the season ( beginning August 25 ) when bears may be hunted with bait.
After all, if bear baiting causes nusiance bears, then shouldn't there be at least some media reports of such occurrances happening in August, September, and October ?
The truth as for the most common causes of nuisance bears are ...
A) Overpopulation
and
B) Lack of adequate natural food, especially during the spring months, which is well before baiting season.
Following the bear baiting season, depending on the weather and the availaibity of natural mast crops which provide for most of the bear's food intake during this time, the bears usually are ready to go into hibernation, not searching out people's garbage and becoming nuisances.
-----
The prohibiting of baiting will do little or nothing to prevent nuisance bears. Regardless of whether baiting is allowed or not, you will still have that occassional rogue bear who will visit people's back yards or a campground. The reason for this can best be explained using a quote from a former Minnesota governor which is, " You can not legislate stupidity. " There will always be the homeowner who will leave garbage accessable, and there will always be the person who will try to hand feed bears or toss out food scraps at or near a campground. Prohibiting bear baiting will do little or nothing to prevent this.
01-04-2004, 07:48 PM
#5
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Calais Maine
Posts: 498
RE: Maine bear referendum
I live in maine myself and havent got the chance to hunt bears yet but one of my best friends father is a guide who goes into our local dunkin donuts and gets there waste donuts and puts them out in a remote part of the woods not anyones backyard by far. I think everyone who reads this should write an e-mail to a senator or a representive about your feelings on this even if your from another state. If they take away bear baiting in maine they might want to take it away in another state. After bear baiting its hard to tell what or whare is next.
Andrew.
Andrew.
01-05-2004, 01:30 PM
#6
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location:
Posts: 317
RE: Maine bear referendum
This would be a good time for us hunters to put our money where our mouth is. If HSUS is to be defeated, this organization needs money. Email them and at least show your support. A check would help, too.
[email protected]
[email protected]
