Preserve meat first, then talk

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Talk to a hunter for a bit, ask a few open-ended questions, and you’re likely to hear tales you’d never believe (if, that is, the hunter in question didn’t immediately pull out a well-worn photo album and offer up some slightly dog-eared proof).

Outdoors enthusiasts love their stories. They love their photos. And they love sharing both.

Most of the time, that show-and-tell tendency is perfectly acceptable (even if it’s a bit annoying to those who don’t share our passions).

Other times, it’s not.

That was the case earlier this week as I made the rounds of moose-tagging stations in Aroostook County.

In Ashland, I met up with Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Rich Hoppe, who had a few words of advice for hunters … especially those who head out on days that turn unseasonably warm.

On Monday and Tuesday moose hunters heading afield for the first week of the two-week season were greeted by sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

Many deer hunters can also recall last year’s opening day of deer season, when Nov. 1 temperatures hovered in the 80s for much of the day.

“This year, unlike a lot of other years, it’s been exceptionally warm,” Hoppe said on Tuesday. “What [hunters] have to realize is when it starts getting in the 60s and 70s, the first thing on their mind has to be treating that meat, getting that moose to a butcher, getting it cooled down as fast as they can.”

Most important, Hoppe said: “No driving around.”

That, for many hunters, is the hard part. When you’ve got a bulky bull moose in the back of your truck, it’s not hard to find dozens of folks who will listen to your stories. Over … and over … and over.

Drop by the local general store and people will flock to you and ask you questions. Stop to gas up? A new audience for your tale will eagerly amble over.

Meanwhile, the moose (or, in the case of last year’s November heat wave, the deer) bakes in the sun.

“I had a case yesterday, one of the bigger bulls, [wardens said] they saw the bull go down early in the morning and [the hunters] were 51/2, 6 hours dealing with this animal in the sun,” Hoppe said. “I suspect there was some spoilage there.”

And that’s just spoilage that took place as the moose was being dragged to a truck or trailer. Hoppe said hunters have an easier option, but often fail to recognize it.

“We’d like to see more people, especially in this weather, cut their moose up [before transporting it],” he said. “All we need in the station is to know the sex. Most people, I think want to know the weights of these animals [and try to transport it without cutting it into pieces].”

But even after getting their moose out of the woods, Hoppe said some drive, stop, and linger.

“These people have been putting in [their names] for 15, 20 years plus,” Hoppe said. “When they get a big bull, they want to say, ‘Hey, look at my bull.’ They’re proud of it, and they should be proud of it. But hey, take some pictures, and show [people] the pictures. You don’t have to show them the animal.”

Late last week, a poll conducted by Critical Insights shed a bit more light on the upcoming referendum that would outlaw the hunting of bears with bait, hounds, or by trapping.

First, the good news: The tide seems to have turned, and opponents of that referendum have made significant progress since an earlier poll taken in the spring.

Back in the spring, you may recall, 57 percent of respondents said they would vote to ban those practices. Just 37 percent opposed the referendum.

Fast forward to fall: Now, only 45 percent of respondents said they’d vote for the referendum, while 48 percent oppose it. Seven percent were unsure how they would vote.

The staffers at Critical Insights say that support for the ban is highest among women and voters aged 55 or older.

The pollsters also pointed out something that many of us suspected all along: The concept of “Two Maines” is alive and well when it comes to the contentious bear hunting referendum.

In the northern Maine communities that would be affected most directly by the ban, only 36 percent of respondents support the referendum, while 58 percent oppose it.

But in Congressional District 1 – “The Other Maine,” if you please – 56 percent support banning bear baiting, trapping, and hounding. And just 37 percent want to keep things the way they are.

If you’re among those who fear that the decision on Maine’s bear hunting future will likely be made by those who have never hunted bear, have never met a bear hunter, and who rarely see bears, you may be right.

Crunch these numbers for a moment: The population centers of Congressional District 1 are in Cumberland, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and York counties.

According to a study released Thursday, those four counties (combined population: 560,802) accounted for fewer than 1 percent of the bears killed in 2002.

By contrast, Aroostook County alone (population: 73,938) accounted for 52.7 percent of the state’s bear harvest in 2002.

Clearly, Aroostook County guides, store owners, taxidermists, and merchants will be the ones most directly affected by any change in the way bears are hunted.

For the most part, bear hunting doesn’t have any effect on the average Portland resident.

But all it would take to erase the vote of an entire county that relies on that hunt (Aroostook) is a landslide vote by Maine’s largest city.

There are already plenty of Mainers in the northern part of the state who feel like they’ve been slighted, ignored, or treated as second-class citizens by those from the more affluent southern communities.

If you think there are two Maines now, wait until you see the reaction if District 1 voters take away one of the most viable economic engines some District 2 towns still have.

Thursday’s report, “The Bear Economy,” which was prepared by Eaton Peabody Consulting Group, analyzed the economic impact of bear hunting and potential consequences of a ban.

While it’s easy to criticize any study, I have to admit that I wish Eaton Peabody had relied on a larger sample of guides and nonresident and resident hunters.

In any kind of survey or poll, one of the quickest and most effective ways to blunt the force of statistics and numbers is to blame “sample size” and to point out that it’s impossible to know if the people surveyed or polled actually make up a “representative sample” of a given population.

The fact that the report cited interviews with just 25 resident hunters, 20 nonresident hunters, and 21 guides was a bit troublesome.

The results may have been representative of the bear-hunting and bear-guiding population … or it may not have been. And that bothers me.

With that said, I offer an anecdote from a guide, who may or may not have been interviewed for the report.

His assertion (which I agree with): No matter what happens in November, bear hunting over bait will continue. Money will still be spent. Hunters will still bag their bears. And the hunting will all take place a few hours away from Bangor. Just like it is now.

The catch: The bear hunting will take place not in Maine … but in Quebec.

In Quebec, in case you’re wondering, there is already a thriving bear hunting business. And Quebec outfitters would be more than happy to welcome several thousand displaced bear hunters … whether they’re Maine residents or not.

Just one more thing to consider.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.