Bear vote fund raising tops $1M

Fund raising for the bear referendum campaign has topped a million dollars.

Reports filed with the Maine State Ethics Commission on Thursday show that Maine Citizens for Fair Bear Hunting, the group advocating for a ban on bear trapping, shooting over bait and hunting with dogs, had raised $374,877.20 as of last week’s reporting deadline.

Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, a coalition composed primarily of hunting groups to oppose the referendum, had raised $737,157.48.

Hunters for Fair Bear Hunting, a smaller group aligned with Citizens for Fair Bear Hunting, has raised $245 – money that was somewhat unexpected because fund-raising efforts have yet to really start, spokesman Cecil Gray said Thursday.

Overall, Gray expects that his group’s bank accounts won’t ever reach the levels of the other two broad groups, since it represents only hunters who support the referendum, and is raising funds only from its membership.

Edie Leary, spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, said Thursday that her group had raised $264,656.69 from more than 6,000 donors during the April 1 through May 27 reporting period.

Leary added that 65 percent of those donors are Maine residents, and said that much of her opponents’ war chest was built through donations from national animal rights groups.

However, Sharon Kumiszcza of Maine Citizens for Fair Bear Hunting said Thursday that her group raised $11,491 during the same time period – all from Mainers – though previous donations from the Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals kicked off the campaign.

Bob Fisk of Citizens for Fair Bear Hunting has previously said that neither side can fight this battle without support from like-minded national organizations.

The U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance has pledged its support. Safari Club International and the National Wild Turkey Federation are also on board, according to campaign finance documents.