Bear baiting: yes or no? (2014, college, camps)

[Tenebrae]

I have to admit, I had to do a Google search to find out what "bear baiting" is. The first hit is a wikipedia article that describes a "bloodsport" similar to dog fighting. At the very bottom of the article, there's a tiiiiny little line about the legit hunting practice which appears to be what's actually being discussed here.
So to be clear...
No, I don't think there's a question of torture and bloodsport being illegal.
I think it's a matter of a specific type of hunting practice using bait to lure an animal (vs. random trapping or shooting, I suppose).
Do I understand this correctly?
As I don't hunt or live in Maine (yet), I don't have much say in the vote, but hopefully this will help clear up the term.

-T.

[mainebrokerman]

the hunters are going to vote NO ......... these are people who eat bears

the maine game warden will vote NO ....these are professionals, there job to know the "whys"

Maine biologists will vote NO, these are scientists that know much more than I ever will


who are voting YES?

people who don't hunt

out of staters that want to ban all hunting

groups that don't like guns and or hunting




we have no wolves in maine, we have no mountain lions - (we use to have both as top predators)
bears are now the top predator, and with plenty of food ( because of no mountain lions or wolves to kill deer, etc)
bears will proliferate everywhere in the state

hunting keeps the bear numbers in check, this may disturb many - but its true


bears have a nose ten times more powerful than a hound dog, so trying to sneak up on a bear in the woods (hunt them) is damn near impossible) (if trying to hunt without baiting)


without keeping the bear numbers in check, they will soon be in our back yards and more encounters with us or our kids

another thing to consider, we are in maine, not the city
not only do we go fishing, atv-ing, cross country skiing, hiking and on and on to enjoy the outdoors, its nothing for our kids to walk a quarter or half a mile on a rural road, or hike thru the woods to go somewhere
so, down the road if the bear population doubles/triples, and more bears are around our houses,,,they will be after our pets, kids and livestock

bears can run 30-40 mph if one is hungry, startled, sees us as a threat or food-
good luck

and you cant climb a tree to escape (as if a wolf is chasing you)

[Maineac]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Bear-baiting is sick and wrong and is not that much different from dog fighting as both involve animal cruelty. Anyone who participates in these sick spectacles needs to be thrown in jail. It's no different than Micheal Vick's actions.

This one makes me vote NO emphatically. Full of baloney.

This is an anti-hunting bill and nothing more. They tried it in Federal Court with the incidental lynx trapping and lost. And they will keep trying because the doosh that runs HSUS gets paid almost $300K a year and jets all over the world doing his "job." Go ahead. Vote it out. I'll take up bear hunting out of spite. Make us all poachers - you'll need another 1,000 game wardens to stop the people I know that will ignore the antihunting laws. That's a little extreme, I know, but tell me you're taking my guns or hunting away. When that happens, and the "crown" owns all the game, I'll start being indiscriminate and hardly law abiding when I fill my freezer.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by massnative71

What is their real argument FOR the ban?

It's blatantly obvious that their real ultimate goal is to ban all hunting, I was just wondering how they are trying to sell this to the public.

[Ulysses61]

Killing a yearling is often disappointing when you get up close.

Imagine how disappointed the poor yearling was when you cruelly ended his/her life to put a pathetic "skin" on your wall. I say this with complete seriousness.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Bear-baiting is sick and wrong and is not that much different from dog fighting as both involve animal cruelty. Anyone who participates in these sick spectacles needs to be thrown in jail. It's no different than Micheal Vick's actions.

I can see that. Anyone who wants to feed their family is sick and twisted.

All hunting and fishing should be outlawed. How dare anyone try to feed a family with poor defenseless animals.

Meat comes from a store, where it was synthesized without involving animals.



/sarc

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I can see that. Anyone who wants to feed their family is sick and twisted.

All hunting and fishing should be outlawed. How dare anyone try to feed a family with poor defenseless animals.

Meat comes from a store, where it was synthesized without involving animals.



/sarc

With that type of mentality, you wonder why the bear population went extinct in Africa back in 1870. People were hunting and killing the atlas bear relentlessly until the species died out. This is one of the ugly chapters in human history that most people choose to forget. Human beings can be so annoying, as they usually destroy everything.

Atlas bear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Submariner]

We had a friend over for supper last night. Up until yesterday the only things she had heard about bear-baiting was that it was for trophies, and it is 'unfair'.

She had no idea that bear meat is edible. She did not know that Mainers eat bear.

I explained to her that even when I kill one of our pigs, I feed them, so they are not moving around and I can get a clean shot. One shot to the head, is a much cleaner and quicker death, as compared to when the animal is pacing around.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Submariner

We had a friend over for supper last night. Up until yesterday the only things she had heard about bear-baiting was that it was for trophies, and it is 'unfair'.

She had no idea that bear meat is edible. She did not know that Mainers eat bear.

I explained to her that even when I kill one of our pigs, I feed them, so they are not moving around and I can get a clean shot. One shot to the head, is a much cleaner and quicker death, as compared to when the animal is pacing around.

You're so kind as you are a merciful killer.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

You're so kind as you are a merciful killer.

Do you eat meat???