For those out there who don’t believe that we need to stand together to fight against trapping and other outdoor activities from being ripped from our hand, here is yet another reason. I know there are tons of outdoor enthusiasts out there who are just sitting back saying, no it will never happen Norm. The Joint Standing Committee shot it down, it will be shot down by the house, and the people of Maine will finalize the deal when it becomes a referendum. Well you sit there and do nothing, continue to just say to yourselves and your buddies, “that Norm, he’s nuts, that will never happen. Trapping has been around forever.” But, when they take trapping of bears away and continue on down the road to ban other things, you have no right to complain about it.
Our opposition is out there daily bombarding residents, committee members, and political representatives from all over the state. The Human Society is at the forefront providing several ways for people to stand for LD1635.
So those people down in Augusta that represent you and I are hearing those who support the bill. Are you doing your part to let them hear from those of us who want the chance to hold onto our great heritage and tradition.
I have read many articles on this issue and talked with many people. One lady that I recently talked with said she was a new resident of Maine and loved the way of life here. The next sentence however was, “I can’t believe Maine wants to hold onto such barbaric ways. I cannot live in a state that does support such activity.” My response was, “I totally understand and respect your opinion. However, no one invited you to live here and no one is making you. This goes farther then trapping bear. It is about heritage and tradition. It’s about further opportunities and the rights of my son.” Of course, she was not so understanding of my opinion and I walked off as arguing with her was not my intentions.
There are not only the anti-hunters, trappers, and fanatics that are after this method of taking bear either. There is a group formed of avid hunters who do not believe in trapping. There is from this article a group of 600 people and growing that oppose bear trapping. This group is a pro-hunting, anti-trapping group. Bill Randall is an avid hunter who leads this group. Bill claims he gave up trapping due to a bear chewing his own paw off after being trapped. I believe this situation could have happened. I wonder how many times this happens. What are the odds 1:1000?1:10,000? My question to Bill would be “have you ever wounded a deer?” Does that mean you should give up hunting?
Maine people are very opinionated. I suppose Bill is one of the old timers that we could learn a lot from in many circumstances. This is not one of those situations I don’t believe. Bill says he was a trapper and gave it up. I have to wonder how involved in trapping Bill was in his day. Why do I question this? The next statement that Bill made.
“There is no chase with bear trapping, no real tracking skills required,” said Randall.
Certainly he cannot possibly sit there and say there are NO skills involved in trapping. You have to first off know the bear and moving patterns. Certainly you use a bait to attract the bear, once you find an area suitable. Although the skill comes in keeping down your scent, not alarming bear my your movement in and out of the area, and to get a bear to step in a 2 inch square area from the entire wooded area you are pursuing him in, that takes some skill.
Get up off your butts and email, call, or go visit those who represent our opinions in Augusta. If you sit there and do nothing, then you have no right to complain when all the outdoor activities have been taken away from us. There will be plenty of time for sitting on your backsides then.
