Look, it happens here in Maine too. But, it doesn't happen often enough to threaten our heritage of hunting.
The percentage of these incidents compared to the number of hunters is waay low.
And about the fake bear or deer....It is entrapment in a sense and IMO, rather than set someone up, which can be dangerous in it's self, why aren't the authorities going out to help real people with real problems.??
Hmmm....Do they have too much time on their hands.??
The hunting problems here in Maine are few and far between. Look at the numbers.
There is almost a culture difference between NY and Maine; whereas we have enjoyed free access to vast tracts of land; much of that similar land in NY has been tied up in hunting leases for years; people pay big bucks to join these clubs, and the laws protect them accordingly. Ironically I've found that, although they pay for the privelege of using the land these hunting lease holders have more respect for the landowner's right to cut wood and use the land than we Mainers do.
(I.E.; To my knowledge they have never had anything like our "Ban clearcutting" referendum, and Jonathan Carter would never survive there.)
On the other hand the economy around the Adirondack Forest is permanently stunted, just as it will be if the National North Maine Woods Park ever is realised.
As population increases in Maine we are going to seee more conflicts. I WILL NOT hunt my old stomping grounds around Auburn and Minot because of incidents there, mostly by adjacent landowners, not hunters. Yet it is up to us as hunters to be "ambassadors for the future" .
Sorry for the long post, but this is very dear to me. As a hunter and lifelong Mainer I'm accustomed to hunting where I want; but as a small landowner and representative of large landowners (the company I work for manages about 1.5million acres) I see things differntly than the average sportsman.
I would like to see ALL Maine sportsmen become as organised as the MSA; then sit down with the major landowners of this state and chart a course for the future.
Anyways, back to the original post; glad you got your deer. I have no doubt that by now you've enjoyed the tenderloins.
RHW
Like I said there are hunters that have great respect, but there are others{small %} that give us ALL a bad name. You can stick with your comments and turn a blind eye, but when hunting is ruined don't cry because you decided to ignore what does happen. Like I said last year alone there were homes that got caught in the cross fire. In 1 case a child was killed in their own living room playing on the couch. Another child had just been takin out of their crib when the father heard a strange sound. After investigation they found the hole through the wall and into the crib. The "HUNTER"{I quess this is what you'd call him} was caught, charges pending.