To the editor:
Growing up in Caribou was a blessing I never truly grasped until I had some years behind me. It gave me some qualities I hold dear; an unwavering work ethic, a respect for community and for family, and a deep rooted stewardship for the natural environment and the creatures in it. Being from ‘The County’ made me care about things in a way people ‘from away’ don’t quite understand.
This upbringing is the reason I’m standing up for Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting with a “Yes” vote in November. I grew up with hunters; family members and friends that found this age-old tradition a way of appreciating the wilderness. They were hard workers, respectful people, pillars of their communities. This is why we reject baiting, hounding, and trapping as being “part of the tradition.”
These unsporting practices are not in line with the qualities of County folk. They are unfair, cruel, cheating practices that do not go hand-in-hand with the work ethic of the people using them. They are not in sync with the respect for the outdoors that I know these people hold close to their hearts. There is nothing ‘natural’ about feeding bears barrels of junk food that then teach them to seek out human food. There is nothing hard-working about using dogs and GPS to tree a bear. There is nothing respectful about letting an animal suffer for hours in a trap.
So I am asking you, as hunters, non-hunters, outdoors people, but most of all as ‘County people,’ to look hard at your values as they relate to these outdated practices. I urge you to please go out and vote and vote ‘Yes on 1’. Let’s admit that hunting by hounding, baiting and trapping is not the ‘County’ way of doing things.
Angela M. Bell
Portland
