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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Battle Heating Up Over Bear Baiting By Idaho Hunters Trouble Between Signature Gatherers, Opponents Grows More Common

The battle over bear baiting is getting physical, say volunteers gathering signatures for a possible November vote on whether to ban the controversial hunting method.

A man reportedly shouted and shoved volunteer Kathy Richmond on Thursday while trying to wrest away her petition clipboard.

“He took both hands and shoved me as hard as he could,” Richmond, 45, said Sunday. She said she was speaking to a woman outside a post office near Boise when the man jumped between them and shouted.

Richmond was not hurt, but she said she intends to press assault charges. She wrote down the license plate number of the man’s vehicle and filed a report with the Ada County sheriff’s office.

Such confrontations are becoming more common throughout Idaho, said Lynn Fritchman, chairman of the Idaho Coalition United for Bears, a group of bear-baiting foes.

“I know we’re getting hassled all over the state,” said Fritchman.

Citizens opposing the initiative have torn up petition forms, scribbled “VOID” on them, tried to grab clipboards and harassed store owners into asking signature gatherers to leave, he said.

“The name of the game is to keep us from getting sufficient signatures to get it on the ballot,” he said, adding that the group has “well over half” of the 41,335 signatures it needs by July 5.

Fritchman’s group is pushing for an end to bear hunting with hounds, attracting bears with bait and hunting bears in the spring, when killing female bears may leave behind orphan cubs.

But critics of the initiative say it’s an assault on all hunting and will open the door to a complete hunting and fishing ban.

The chairman of the sportsmen’s group fighting the initiative condemned such in-your-face confrontations Sunday.

“That’s very unfortunate. We certainly don’t condone that,” said Don Clower, chairman of Idaho’s Sportsmen’s Heritage Defense Fund. “But this is an emotional issue, and some people take their hunting very seriously.”

If Richmond’s account is accurate, assault charges should be filed against her accoster, Clower said. He said, however, he has heard of no cases of harassment.

“We’re trying to run a political campaign very efficiently and very professionally,” Clower said. “Getting in a shouting match doesn’t look good for either side.”

, DataTimes