I grew up in a rural part of Maine where hunting was a way of life. Most people hunted for recreation, though many did so for food or to protect their land.

What I learned was not to play or hike in the woods during hunting season if I wanted to stay safe – the woods belonged to the hunters!

Now I live near the Eastern Trail, where people push baby strollers, run, meet friends, walk their pets and take beautiful pictures of the marsh. Yet I have seen hunters walking with guns along the trail or driving in their trucks looking for game. (No one else is allowed to drive on the trail.)

I wonder what and who has pressured state and local officials to allow hunting in such a public place. With the thousands of acres of woods, fields, rivers, lakes and mountains in Maine, do we need to allow people to hunt on the Eastern Trail – really?

Janice Cohen

Scarborough