A Good But Scary Year For Maine Hunting

Well I'm happy to report that the great state of Maine once again beat back the Humane Society of the United States and protected our rights as hunters here in Maine. The bear referendum, seeking to ban the baiting, hounding and trapping of bears went to a public vote and lost roughly 54-46%, essentially exactly the same results as the referendum this same group pushed back in 2004. I personally want to thank all my fellow Mainers for voting NO on question 1 this year, I appreciate your support more than you will ever know. I am tempted to relax, sit back and enjoy the victory however the time for that is definitely not here. This group has already vowed to seek additional efforts in the 2016 presidential election when voter turn out is expected to be much higher. The time has finally come for us as Maine Sportsmen and Sportswomen to be proactive in preserving our rights. Here is the list of things I think we should all put into our daily routine going forward to ensure we not only gain additional support from others in our state but also improve our image amongst all people.

1.) Always conduct ourselves in a respectful, cool and collected manner, even when faced with those who are passionately opposed to what we do. Taking the moral high road, not stooping to the level of emotional reactions will always benefit our image within the general public.

2.) Do small things to help build land owner relations. Maine is primarily privately owned property and arguably the most threatening thing to our hunting heritage is the posting of land and loss of access. If you have a landowner who allows you to hunt their property be sure to thank them! Send them a Christmas card, offer a couple prime steaks if you are fortunate enough to harvest a deer off their land, if you know they drink, buy them a bottle of their favorite whiskey, etc. I know having a great place to hunt to me is worth way more than a 55$ bottle of whiskey! Make them know we appreciate the privilege of using their land.

3.) Turn in those who are ruining our image. This is very controversial, but if you know people who are poaching, trespassing, tearing up land, ruining snowmobile trails, etc. you need to speak up. These actions are broadcasted more than ever due to social media and the instantaneous transfer of information in our world today. The time has come to speak up and hold our peers accountable.

4.) ALWAYS FOLLOW LAWS AND REGULATIONS SET BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES & WILDLIFE. READ YOUR RULE BOOK EVERY YEAR, IGNORANCE TO LAW CHANGES IS NOT AN EXCUSE.

5.) Join the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. This is our lobbying organization and if you enjoy recreating in the outdoors in Maine you have to join this group. Its more important now than ever.

6.) Consider writing personal letters to your local elected government officials and explain your support for a constitutional amendment to the Maine state constitution that would permanently protect the rights of our citizens to hunt and fish. This arguably is the greatest chance we have at ensuring our heritage will live on forever. If we can get this passed the public referendum procedure to ban hunting practices will no longer be an opportunity that out of state anti-hunting organizations can abuse.

7.) Get people involved! This can be tough, especially for those of us who only have a couple days to hunt per year. But we need to get more people involved and understanding what we do. Get the whole family involved! Youth and women need to be a growing population amongst our hunting groups and we all need to offer to take people into the outdoors! If you ever hear someone say they would like to go make that your priority. Increasing the number of people purchasing hunting licenses in Maine, working to build landowner relationships and enjoying our way of life will ensure that hunting and fishing in the great state of Maine is here for eternity.

Certainly there are many other ways to help protect our rights but these simple steps are something we can all work on. I hope you all take these into consideration and reflect on the opportunities you have in your life to help promote, improve and grow our hunting heritage/community. Thank you for reading and as always:

Shoot straight, and shoot often.