A BEAR OF A TRAP

As predicted when a referendum to ban bear baiting and trapping failed at the polls two years ago, the debate over how bears are killed is heating up again in Augusta. Lawmakers will face bills that range from banning trapping to ensuring no further limits are placed on trapping. As they consider these proposals, lawmakers must consider the biological effects of trapping along with the public’s standards for acceptable hunting practices to strike a balance.

In 2004, when Maine voters faced a referendum to ban bear baiting, trapping and pursuit with dogs, many biologists and hunters said the measure would have passed if it sought only to outlaw trapping because many people think this is the most egregious way to capture and kill a bear. In a poll conducted in 1992 by The Maine Sportsman, a Yarmouth-based magazine, seven out of 10 respondents disapproved of trapping. The numbers would likely be even more lopsided among the general public.

Last month, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife proposed a modest rule change to outlaw foothold traps because they are not particularly effective and new technologies work better, says Ken Elowe, IF&W’s director of resource management. The rule change would also restrict hunters to only one trap, rather than the two currently allowed, so they don’t exceed the one bear per year limit. While these are positive steps that were begrudgingly accepted by sportsmen at an IF&W Advisory Council meeting last week, it is reasonable to ask if they are enough.

Trapping has no ecological impact on the state’s bear population, according to Mr. Elowe. In 2005, nearly 3,000 bears were killed during the fall season, well below the five-year average of about 3,800. Of those, 130 were trapped and about 300 were taken by hunters using dogs, but the vast majority – more than 2,200 animals – were shot over bait, according to the department’s statistics.

These numbers show that trapping, whether using foothold, cable or cage traps, while not detrimental, is not integral to the state’s bear management plans.

Maine is the only state in the country to allow bear trapping putting the state outside the hunting mainstream, something that should be of concern to those who hope to draw new visitors and residents here.

IF&W has proposed rule changes based on biological information. It is now up to the Legislature to consider society’s concerns about trapping and decide whether further restrictions are warranted. Given its biological irrelevance and the public distaste for it, it is extremely difficult to justify allowing a continuation of bear trapping.