Bear baiting sullies state’s image

Anyone visiting Maine who happened to read the Bill Graves column (BDN, July 28-29), “Time to prepare for bear,” would get a picture of our great state that is far from the true one.

His detailed description of how to put out bait 30 days before the start of the bear season in order to habituate the animals to buckets of doughnuts so that on the opening day hunters can climb to tree stands to shoot the bears over bait, is a sorry depiction of hunting in Maine.

It does a disservice to fair-chase hunters who deplore baiting and it sullies the image of this beautiful state.

Cherie Mason

Sunset