I am writing this letter in regards to the use of traps and baiting of bears.
I have a friend Down East who is a registered Maine guide. Most of his customers are from out of state, and they hunt bear to make a rug from its hide, not for the meat.
He calls every year asking if I want some bear meat because he has a freezer full of it and can’t find people around there who want bear meat. He has to throw a lot of meat on the dump.
Hunters shoot deer for the meat and a trophy head. They shoot moose for meat and a good head mount. Bear suffer so a hunter can shoot it in a trap or over bait. The out-of-state hunters don’t tell people at home how they shoot the bear, either in a trap or out of a tree stand where they are not in any danger, like shooting fish in a barrel.
In bear baiting guides, it tells hunters to introduce this free meal to start with. I have contacted the hotline for illegal deer baiting for two years, because I’ve seen a man putting salt licks around apple trees, and no one ever checked on it.
Why doesn’t that warden in the TV ad say the bear he killed was probably looking for food. The way the wardens are trying to tell people to vote no on Question 1, I won’t give them the time of day any more. I don’t think they can all be trusted.
Earl Starks
South China
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