Petra, Maine Wildlife

I keep my place as a sanctuary as well. It's not that I'm against hunting, it's just that I like my critters.

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I believe most black bear attacks occur in or near national or state parks, and I think this is because 1) people tend to feed the bears so the bears associate people with food; and 2) hunting hasn't been allowed for multiple bear generations so there are bears that have less fear of people. Otherwise, there's no reason why a 500-pound bear would worry about a fat old guy walking through the woods. As fewer people hunt, we might see more bear aggression. Of course, a really hungry bear or one who still needs to fatten up for the winter might take whatever opportunity presents itself, particularly kids, whose actions or voices might suggest prey.

 

I tell them "It's not hunting when they walk right up to you."

 

Two of my brothers who live near where I grew up have deer that regularly come into their yards because they throw corn down. Sometimes they'll even come to the door or look in the windows. But, although one of them hunts deer regularly, neither of them hunts the ones who come into their yards. They go to the woods for that.

 

Hey! You in there!! You're out of corn!!!​

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I moved into a neighborhood where the locals run dogs through the entire area (although it's really quelled in the past 10 years or so.) I did not want to be the guy who came from "up north" and shrunk the property they had hunted on since they were kids, so I told them: "When you are going to hunt, you need to let me know you are on my property. I will be out there with a gun, and you will be out there with a gun. I can't take that risk on my own land. That is my only condition."

So I'm sitting inside one day and hear BOOM! BOOM! right outside my house!!! I go onto the deck and just in the woods and down a hollow I can here them talking over a kill! No one said one damned thing to me. So I pulled the one guy aside and said "Get the word out. No more hunting on my property. I tried to be nice." They respected it. But it still makes me angry. Just act like damned adults.

So to bring this back to Maine...I cannot recall if @Ken Anderson said he had issues with hunters on his property or not. I'm kinda thinking he had trespassers, but I don't recall hunters specifically.

 

Yes, we had that discussion in another thread. The link will bring you to my reply, one that would serve as a reply to this post as well.

 

That was almost exactly 2 years ago!

Good memory.

 

I remembered that I had posted something about it but I had to do a search in order to find it.