By the time November gets here, you and I may or may not have won a turkey permit … or bagged a moose … or spent as much time on the water as we’d hoped.

We may not have caught as many fish as we’d hoped. We may not have slept under the stars, or finally conquered Maine’s highest peak.

All of that, of course, remains to be seen.

This doesn’t: By November, we will have ingested, absorbed, and been bombarded by more bear-hunting rhetoric than most would consider (forgive the term) humane.

This week, referendum supporters offered up more than 100,000 signatures in their effort to ban baiting, hounding, and trapping of bears.

On the same day, Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council issued statements vowing to fight and defeat the effort.

As I’ve written in the past, I tend to side with biologists in this matter, and view bear hunting with bait as a valuable management tool.

With that said, I really wish both sides would stop talking so much … and start listening a bit more.

To wit, I offer you two pieces of “campaign” rhetoric, designed to show you how much sense each side is making.

Exhibit 1: The Maine Citizens for Fair Bear Hunting released a nifty little Top 10 list this week. You may have missed it. Here’s one of my favorites, under the heading “Top Ten Reasons to Support Maine’s Black Bear Referendum.”

“The mascot of Maine’s largest university is the majestic Maine black bear – and guides and out-of-state hunters turn this animal into a dumpster diner by habituating them to human food sources.”

OK. Let’s forget, for a moment, that one big reason the majority of Maine black bears (the animals, not the hockey players) are not presently “dumpster diners” is because we have progressed as a society, and it’s (thankfully) hard to find a good, old-fashioned, meat-rotting-in-the-sun “dump” any more.

Instead, let’s remember this: Maine’s Black Bear mascot is a fictional cartoon beast. Bringing this, or any other mascot, into the equation is ridiculous … although it does make me glad we live here, instead of near … let’s say … The University of California at Santa Cruz.

At least our mascot is “majestic.”

Theirs? UC-Santa Cruz is the home of the fighting (and somewhat less than majestic) Banana Slugs.

I’m not kidding.

Exhibit 2: The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine has offered its membership a convenient set of “talking points” on the referendum, and has even produced a Web page titled “Sportsmen Urged to Stay on Message.”

Fine, you say. Understandable, you say. Read on.

Included in SAM’s message is this advice on dealing with prospective voters:

“Don’t waste time discussing hunting ethics, fair chase, types of traps or baits, hounds, or any other aspect of bear hunting and trapping. Those issues are only important to us – they won’t move voters or win this fight.”

Call me naive, but when it comes time to vote, I’d just as soon have the decision made by folks who had been challenged to discuss (and think deeply about) ethics … and fair chase … and all aspects of bear hunting and trapping. And I’d also hope those making the decision aren’t just automatons (on either side) who obediently “stayed on message.”

Stay tuned.

As you may imagine, outdoors marketing firms occasionally send word of a New, Improved, Can’t-Live-Without-It product to the NEWS office, along with an in-depth press release that explains how much better my life will be if I try this new wonder device.

These products (or so they claim) can make me shoot straight, catch more fish, call in bigger turkeys … AND MUCH, MUCH MORE (those are their words, not mine).

And as you may imagine, most of the time I end up tossing the press release in the trash … along with the accompanying CD-ROM (if you haven’t noticed, you’re not really a legitimate PR company nowadays unless you’ve got a nifty CD-ROM to send along).

There are times, however, when I’m intrigued … and I actually take the CD-ROM off its wrapper and stick it in the computer.

That was the case this week, when I received a copy of “Knot Tying: Fishing Knots,” a product put out by Beutner Multimedia.

I know very little about Beutner Multimedia, except this: They sent a copy of their new CD-ROM to the right guy.

I am, as I may have mentioned in past columns, a bit of a knot klutz. OK. More than “a bit.”

When it comes to knots … I’m awful. I know exactly two (at least, I know exactly two that any self-respecting knot-tying professional actually recognizes by name). When neither of those knots work, I resort to the old standby: I simply start whirling the line in a series of loops and tangles that (if I’m lucky) will hold … something … for awhile.

Not any more.

If you’re like me, the “Knot Tying: Fishing Knots” CD-ROM, which will set you back $24.95, can change your life.

It’s easy to follow, because there are no clumsy artist’s renditions of what a particular knot may (but probably won’t) look like. Instead, there is video, shot so that it looks like your hands are tying the knot. A narrator walks you through the process, but you can click “Pause” at any time … and you can watch the same knot over and over and over before advancing. You can progress at your own speed … no matter how slow that may be.

Thirteen knots are described and taught in the CD-ROM, including the blood knot, Albright knot, and the perfection loop.

A handy list of Internet links is included, and a simple click on one (Trout Unlimited, for instance) will take you directly to that organization’s Web site.

For more information, check www.beutner.com.

Over the past few years, Mainers have taken advantage of a number of “free” weekends offered by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Anglers have been allowed to fish without a license on a given winter weekend, and the same opportunity has also been extended during the open-water season.

Next up: Snowmobiling.

But this time, it won’t be Mainers who reap the benefits … at least not directly.

DIF&W Commissioner Dan Martin has designated Feb. 6-8 Maine’s inaugural Open Snowmobile Weekend, and sledders from outside the state will be given the chance to hit Maine trails for free.

Any snowmobile that is legally registered in another state or province can be operated throughout Maine without a Maine registration on that weekend. All other Maine snowmobile regulations apply.

“This weekend is designed to give snowmobilers a taste of Maine, and hopefully, riders will come back to Maine, wanting more than just a weekend on our trails,” said Col. Tim Peabody of the Maine Warden Service.

While not targeted at Maine sledders, Maine businesses will surely benefit, as riders from across the region arrive to sample some of Maine’s 13,000 miles of groomed trails.

Now all we need is a good blizzard to add a nice base in areas that haven’t been blessed with significant snow.

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