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We would like to challenge every state bowhunting organization to do the same. If we all pitch in it can make a big difference.

Please check out these links and either make a personal donation or if you are a member of your state association, encourage them to get involved before it is too late.

If the anti’s win in Maine, a dangerous precedent will be set and they will move on to perhaps your or my back yard.

Here is my response:

First of all, it is hard to compare apples to apples between Maine and Oregon.

I’m not familiar with predator species but seems like Maine has some wolves and no cougars.

Oregon’s bear and cougar Measure 18 passed in 1994 banning bait and dogs for hunting.

Wolves began coming into Oregon after 2000 and the population is anticipated to meet criteria for delisting in 2015.

So Oregon is dealing with 3 apex predators and the “tools” to deal with keeping them in relative balance have been rendered inert.

To get a little background and some detail check out these fish and wildlife (ODFW) reports:

• See 2015 Oregon hunting proposals attached.

• Read Oregon’s black bear management plan here: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/management_plans/index.asp

So, looking at the Question 1 pamphlets, some of the bullet points are:

Restore Maine’s tradition of fair hunting. Emotion, baiting and especially dogs have been traditional methods of take for hundreds of years.

REAL Sportsmen don’t need….. No, I have taken 3 of them since arriving here in 1966. Now it may be true I could have killed more with a gun. As I mentioned in earlier email, all 3 of these predators are extremely wary and chance encounters with a chance to kill one are still a long shot – even with a gun. However, since 1994, and as time goes on, there are more and more encounters with bears (most), cougars and now wolves. I feel safe in saying that these encounters by hunters were rare to none existent prior to 1994.

The number of bear hunting tags has doubled/tripled: Yes, probably has. As more hunters have these chance encounters, they are more inclined to purchase a tag. The other point is that ODFW has significantly reduced the price of bear and cougar tags for Residents and just dropped N.R. fees by ~80%. Even though ODFW is trying to figure out how to make ends meet, they realize they need to sell more tags to get help from Joe hunter in keeping numbers in check. Also, I don’t have any detail but spring bear hunting has become very popular and increased tag sales.

Baiting is garbage in the woods: Most baiters don’t want anyone to know where they are – especially houndsmen. So I doubt the average hiker in Birkenstocks would ever cross their path. Also, there is no mention in any of the attached literature that baiting contributes to teaching bears bad habits. Bears will go where the food is and in dry years in the West, it is a common response to bears in neighborhoods that it was likely due to lack of forage in the wilds (where it would much prefer to be anyway).

Nuisance bear complaints have increased: Looking at the ODFW Bear Plan (pg 17) it is easy to see at a glance that complaints are on a see-saw and go up and down pretty radically for some reason. Maybe year to year weather conditions as noted above.

Maine Bear Population: I would have to call into question the fact that this has almost quadrupled in 35 years. Further, if baiting, hounds and trapping are so bad, what will population trend be like in the future and what will the suburbanites do when they really do start coming into town. This is a very real issue in Portland, OR now! (Google Oregonlive stories for cougars and bears in Portland

You can hunt bears effectively without bait or hounds: Yes, Dr. Cottam is an ODFW bio and yes, you can kill bears w/o bait and dogs. Just not with the same frequency. Spot and stalk and calling have begun to be effective as more hunters are attracted to that venue.

Other states have EFFECTIVELY managed their bear populations after banning….. Have they told you that Oregon still uses these methods to manage bears and cougars? Yes, you will see references to use of “AGENTS” for “ADMINISTRATIVE REMOVAL” of problem predators. That means that they are using funds that could be used to manage all wildlife to do a job that hunters would be happy to do.

When Measure 18 brought BALLOT BOX BIOLOGY to Oregon in 1994, the anti’s used all matter of B.S. advertising and as usual, emotional liberal voters in Multnomah and Linn Counties were able to pass the measure. Hunters were dumb enough not to see what was coming and if you didn’t bait, you were more than likely not to care. Now that our deer and elk populations are in the tank and we have wolves licking their chops – the hunters have smartened up a bit and are buying tags and trying to kill as many as possible.

This is all emotional hype! I just sat through an ODFW Commission meeting last Friday and listened to this same anti-hunting B.S. because ODFW wanted a new hunt in S. Oregon. If you think they will stop with the cruelty of hounds, traps, you are naive. They will not rest until hunting is stopped.

Let me know how you vote!

Say Good Night Rich