Shooting a hungry bear while he is eating bait out of a barrel or shooting one out of a tree after he has been chased there by hounds is considered to be a noble achievement by a growing number of super sports. More than 2,000 bears are killed annually during Maine’s bear season which extends through a three-month period. The bulk of all bears tagged are killed over bait and more than half of these are shot during the very first week of the season.

Bear parts are selling for high prices — especially gall bladders which are a treasured commodity in the Orient bringing thousands of dollars to dealers in aphrodisiacs. In 1992, super sports from 33 different states and several foreign countries shot 1,330 of our bear. Meanwhile, resident Maine hunters, of which there are over 200,000, accounted for only 712 or 35 percent of the total annual harvest.

Hunting is a tradition in many Maine families that has been cherished and carried on since our state was first settled. We have thousands of good honest hunters that are real sportsmen who “still” hunt and “stalk” game one-on-one with the odds favoring the quarry. Most resident hunters, by choice, take their limited vacation time during the November deer season. By then, the most accessible bear population which roamed the woods earlier has been thinned out. So the odds of their even catching a glimpse of one of our most beautiful and fascinating big game animals are greatly diminished. I’m by no means anit-hunting but I believe, along with many others, that shooting a defneseless bear as he eats bait out of a barrel or shooting one that has sought refuge in a tree from hound dogs is disgusting. If you could see how some of these bears are messed up by wild and misplaced shots from some of the super sports, you’d understand my message.

There must be better ways to utilize and manage our bear population without disrupting the economic aspects — giving special concern to guides and owners of bear hunting lodges. As a beginning, restrict hunting over bait and with hounds to unorganized territories. Allow baiting in organized territories for the sole purpose of “bear watching.” Many non-hunters with their camcorders and cameras would be thrilled at the opportunity to see and record a wild black bear close up. This period would begin in May and extend to the middle of September without disrupting a general one-on-one statewide bait and dog free open season for bear in October and November. As the late Gov. Longley used to say, “Think about it.”

For those interested in wiser use of Maine’s beautiful black bears, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be holding a public hearing on Jan. 10 in Bangor at the Eastern Maine Technical College, Mathieu Auditorium, Hogan Road, starting at 7 p.m. If you prefer, you may send written comments to Gary Donovan, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State St., Station 41, Augusta 04333, to reach him on or before the deadline of Jan. 20. Your voice counts; believe this from one who has learned the cost of silence through experience. Warren I. Brown Fort Kent