Bear baiting ban may hurt businesses
Some businesses said their bottom lines could be hurt if a state referendum question that seeks to ban bear baiting gets approved by Maine voters this November.
The Morning Sentinel reported that several businesses in northern and central Maine oppose the referendum question. One business owner, John Morris of Pine Market in Eustis, said the ban would hurt the local economy because it would severely reduce hunting activity.
Town officials in Wilton and Millinocket have signed resolutions in opposition to the proposed ban, with Wilton officials saying it could hurt rural businesses that serve hunters.
The newspaper noted that a 2004 study commissioned by pro-hunting groups said the state would lose 770 full- and part-time jobs, along with $62 million annually, if the ban is approved.
Cecil Gray, a Maine guide in Skowhegan, told the Morning Sentinel that he acknowledges that the ban would take a hit on the economy, but added, “if you’re making money and it’s not a kosher thing, then maybe you should be making money on something else.”
According to the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 93% of bears hunted in Maine annually are lured with baiting, hounding and trapping techniques.
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