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Voters Turn Down Bear Hunting Bans in Alaska and Maine
(Columbus) Sportsmen scored two major victories over anti-hunting groups on November 2 as voters in Alaska and Maine rejected ballot issues banning bear hunting methods.
In Maine, with 85 percent of the precincts reporting, Question 2, which would have prohibited bear hunting using bait, hounds and bear trapping, was being defeated by a 47 to 53 percent margin. The vote total was 249,000 for the issue and 292,000 opposed.
Maine sportsmen united under the banner of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, launched by the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) and the Maine Professional Guides Association. The campaign committee raised $1.5 million from more than 13,000 donors. Nearly two-thirds of the funds were raised inside Maine. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) was the largest donor, contributing $106,000.
“Harnessing the power of Maine’s grassroots sportsmen’s community was the key to victory,” observed Rob Sexton, USSA’s vice president for government affairs. “That enabled the campaign to raise such an incredible sum of money in a state with modest average personal income. Maine hunters owe SAM a great deal of thanks.”
George Smith, SAM’s executive director, recognized the USSA for its work.
“The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance deserves great credit for our victory in Maine,” said Smith. “They were a full partner in our campaign, our largest single donor, and the group we turned to regularly for experienced professional advice, from the first day of the campaign to the last. From our huge fundraising banquet to the day-to-day key campaign decisions, the USSA always came through.”
The victory is especially impressive given a late infusion of cash from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals, which pumped nearly $600,000 into television ads during the last three weeks before election day. The two out–of-state groups bankrolled more than 90 percent of the cost of the anti-hunting campaign.
The animal rights groups’ focus on Maine was a real break for sportsmen in Alaska who were able to capitalize on the lower funded anti-hunting campaign. With over two-thirds of the precincts reporting, voters were defeating Ballot Measure 3. The issue, which would have banned bear hunting with bait, was going down by a margin of 41 to 59 percent. The margin was 85,000 for the issue and 121,000 in opposition.
Despite struggling to raise funds within Alaska, sportsmen received nearly $500,000 from national hunting organizations including USSA, one the campaign’s top donors. The USSA contributed $50,000. Anti-hunting forces mustered only $115,000.
The two ballot issues are the latest battles in the “bear wars,” launched by anti-hunting groups in 1993 with a bill before Congress to ban bear hunting over bait. In response, USSA, in conjunction with the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, the Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association formed the National Bear Hunting Defense Task Force to coordinate the resources of bear hunting organizations across the country.
“The funding and coordination of Task Force members has enabled us to speak with one voice and make a difference in Maine and Alaska,” said Sexton.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
(Columbus) Sportsmen scored two major victories over anti-hunting groups on November 2 as voters in Alaska and Maine rejected ballot issues banning bear hunting methods.
In Maine, with 85 percent of the precincts reporting, Question 2, which would have prohibited bear hunting using bait, hounds and bear trapping, was being defeated by a 47 to 53 percent margin. The vote total was 249,000 for the issue and 292,000 opposed.
Maine sportsmen united under the banner of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, launched by the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) and the Maine Professional Guides Association. The campaign committee raised $1.5 million from more than 13,000 donors. Nearly two-thirds of the funds were raised inside Maine. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) was the largest donor, contributing $106,000.
“Harnessing the power of Maine’s grassroots sportsmen’s community was the key to victory,” observed Rob Sexton, USSA’s vice president for government affairs. “That enabled the campaign to raise such an incredible sum of money in a state with modest average personal income. Maine hunters owe SAM a great deal of thanks.”
George Smith, SAM’s executive director, recognized the USSA for its work.
“The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance deserves great credit for our victory in Maine,” said Smith. “They were a full partner in our campaign, our largest single donor, and the group we turned to regularly for experienced professional advice, from the first day of the campaign to the last. From our huge fundraising banquet to the day-to-day key campaign decisions, the USSA always came through.”
The victory is especially impressive given a late infusion of cash from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals, which pumped nearly $600,000 into television ads during the last three weeks before election day. The two out–of-state groups bankrolled more than 90 percent of the cost of the anti-hunting campaign.
The animal rights groups’ focus on Maine was a real break for sportsmen in Alaska who were able to capitalize on the lower funded anti-hunting campaign. With over two-thirds of the precincts reporting, voters were defeating Ballot Measure 3. The issue, which would have banned bear hunting with bait, was going down by a margin of 41 to 59 percent. The margin was 85,000 for the issue and 121,000 in opposition.
Despite struggling to raise funds within Alaska, sportsmen received nearly $500,000 from national hunting organizations including USSA, one the campaign’s top donors. The USSA contributed $50,000. Anti-hunting forces mustered only $115,000.
The two ballot issues are the latest battles in the “bear wars,” launched by anti-hunting groups in 1993 with a bill before Congress to ban bear hunting over bait. In response, USSA, in conjunction with the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, the Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association formed the National Bear Hunting Defense Task Force to coordinate the resources of bear hunting organizations across the country.
“The funding and coordination of Task Force members has enabled us to speak with one voice and make a difference in Maine and Alaska,” said Sexton.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
