Maine not only has the longest bear hunting season at 66 days; it also has the largest bear population in the contiguous United States. The Department of Inland, Fisheries and Wildlife estimates Maine’s bear population is over 31,000.

Maine's bear hunt is also known for another reason: The state is the only one that allows hunters to use baiting, hounding and trapping to kill bears.

But if animal rights supporters have their way in November, this year’s bear season will be the last using these controversial methods.

Voters are being asked for the second time in 10 years to ban bait, dogs and traps for hunting bear. The referendum will appear as Question One on this fall's ballot. Supporters failed in its first citizens’ initiative attempt to ban these practices. In 2004, a similar referendum lost 344,322 to 389,455.

In 2013, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting attempted to prohibit the controversial practices in the state legislature. The proposal was rejected by lawmakers, which led to a petition drive putting the question on the ballot. According to the Maine Secretary of State's office, the petition received 78,528 signatures.

Supporters believe Maine should adopt “more humane and sporting practices” to hunt bear. The states of Colorado, Washington and Oregon all banned bear trapping several decades ago. In the 1990s, all three also banned baiting and hounding, according to Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting Campaign Director Kate Hansberry.

All three still have a thriving bear hunt despite the restrictions, according to Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, who sponsored the petition drive.

The group is also the major proponent for “Yes on One.”

Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting is supported by the Humane Society of the United States, 29 state and national animal rights groups, several Maine veterinarians, and various other local groups and individuals.

Besides being cruel and inhumane, proponents also believe the three methods are unnecessary to curb the state’s bear population.

“We now have 20 years of data from states like Colorado, Oregon and Washington, which disproves the claim you can't hunt bear by fair chase,” Hansberry said. “What we saw in those states is fair hunting tags and licenses actually increased. There is now more interest in fair chase, and hunters took the same number or if not more bears.”

Opponents disagree.

A coalition of Maine sportsmen have banded together to oppose the referendum. Among those opponents are the Sportsmen Alliance of Maine and 27 other sporting organizations from Maine and nationwide.

Save Maine's Bear Hunt has also been endorsed by all three gubernatorial candidates, who advocate voting “no” on Question One.

Opponents agree the best way for controlling the bear population is through practices developed by the DIFW biologists. Campaign Manager James Cote, of Save Maine's Bear Hunt, contends the referendum would change four decades of successful bear management practices.

“Maine’s bear program is the best in the nation and probably the world,” Cote said. “We have the second healthiest bear population in the U.S. and the fewest nuisance complaints. This referendum would change all that and leave us no other practical method.”

The referendum would ban baiting, hounding and trapping of bears beginning in 2015.

Baiting is the use of food to lure bears to a chosen location so hunters can shoot from close range. Hounding involves trained dogs chasing a bear up a tree. Referendum proponents claim these tactics are unfair to the bears and dangerous for dogs.

“It's not about stopping the bear hunt, but rather prohibiting the cruel and unsporting practices,” Hansberry said. “It's about looking at 20 years of data from Washington, Colorado and Oregon, which has shown fair chase has effectively managed the population without using these inhumane practices.”

In 2013, approximately 10,000 hunters requested licenses and killed 2,845 bears, according to state statistics.

Since 2004, Maine's bear population has grown as hunters rarely reach the 4,500 mark needed to stabilize the population. Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting claims this shows current practices are ineffective. The DIFW believe these practices are necessary for stabilizing the population.

Hansberry said research shows baiting is actually growing the bear population rather than reducing it. Maine’s bear population has grown by 30 percent since 2004, according to Hansberry, and she blamed baiting for the increase. She also said research shows that bear interaction with humans has risen 20 percent over the past decade.

“Baiting is the source of the problem. Hunters have dumped 7 million pounds of donuts and other junk food, which habituates bears to human food sources,” Hansberry said. “It actually has grown the bear population. That's why wildlife agencies advise people not to feed the bears.”

Opponents believe without baiting it would be difficult to hunt bear.

Save Maine's Bear Hunt officials claim the state's wooded areas are so packed with trees it's rare that a hunter ever sees a bear. In 2013, baiting, hounding and trapping accounted for 97 percent of the bear kill. The others were attributed to the “fair hunting” method advocated by the proponents.

“Only 100 bears were killed using the 'spot and stalk' method being proposed,” Cote said. “Without these three methods there is no possibility to reach the harvest objectives necessary to maintain a healthy bear population.”

The major sponsor of Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting is the Humane Society of the United States. Hansberry is the executive director of the state chapter. She believes the data over the past decade will be enough evidence to persuade a majority of voters to support Question One.

“Hunters aren't allowed to use these methods to hunt deer and moose. And they shouldn't be allowed to use them for bear, either,” Hansberry said. “This is a broad coalition of people who want to see these inhumane techniques eliminated. We have 10 years of scientific data in Maine which show better ways to maintain the population and reduce nuisance complaints.”

In 2004, Lincoln County mirrored the statewide results with voters opposing the referendum 53-47 percent. The the Lincoln County area, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport, Alna and Westport Island favored the referendum, while Edgecomb, Wiscasset, and Dresden opposed it.

In Knox County, voters favored passage 11,479 to 11,141; but Waldo County voters opposed the referendum 8,751 to 13,203.