Ted Nugent auctioning guitar to support Maine hunting heritage

Rock star Ted Nugent is auctioning an autographed guitar on eBay in support of Maine’s hunting heritage and traditions. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Sportman’s Alliance of Maine “to help support its never-ending battle to preserve the long standing heritage and tradition of firearms ownership and hunting in the State of Maine, according to the product description on eBay.

A guitar autographed by Ted Nugent is being auctioned by the rock star on eBay in support of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine and their mission to preserve the state's hunting heritage.

A guitar autographed by Ted Nugent is being auctioned by the rock star on eBay in support of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and their mission to preserve the state’s hunting heritage.

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine is currently battling against a proposed referendum to ban hounding, trapping and baiting methods of bear hunting in Maine, which will be presented to Maine voters on the Nov. 4 ballot. SAM is one of the many organizations in the Anti-Bear Referendum Coalition, a group that is opposed to referendum.

While eBay description of Nugent’s guitar doesn’t mention the bear hunting referendum, Nugent has voiced his opinion on bear hunting methods in the past.

When Nugent traveled to Maine in September 2003 for his first black bear hunt, he met up with BDN’s John Holyoke. During the interview, Nugent said, “To hunt bears without bait is like dropping a hook in the water without a worm on it when you’re fishing. It is a proven, scientifically sound, essential management methodology of hound hunting and bear hunting, as proven in California, Oregon, Washington and Ontario with their spring bear hunt ban.”

The Bangor Daily News is currently trying to secure a phone or email interview with Nugent to ask him about the guitar and his opinion about the referendum.

“We’re glad that a national celebrity supports what we’re doing up here and cares about the issue,” said David Trahan, executive director of SAM. “Ted Nugent’s support is more for our general mission — which is to conserve wildlife in the state of Maine and defend hunting and gun rights.”

Therefore, proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting SAM’s general mission, Trahan said. The acoustic guitar, which sports stars and stripes, has a “Buy it Now” price of $7,000, and bidders can also make an offer.

Nugent, who began his rock n’ roll career in the 1960s, has produced multiple hits, including “Journey to the Center of the Mind,” “Stranglehold,” “Hey Baby,” “Cat Scratch Fever,” “Coming of Age” and “High Enough.” At this point, he is still touring every year, having performed over 6,400 concerts and selling in excess of 40 million albums.

He’s also a lifelong outdoorsman who has written more than 40 publications in support of hunting, especially bowhunting. Along with his wife Shemane, Nugent regularly hosts hunts for sick and terminally ill children with Hunt of a Lifetime, Hunt for a Cure and through his own Kamp for Kids. In addition, he was inducted into the National Bowhunters Hall of Fame.

“I met with him last year to have dinner,” said Trahan. “It was very interesting. All he wanted to talk about was wildlife biology. I wanted to talk music, and he wanted to talk whitetailed deer, wildlife biology and habitat management.”

To view the Ted Nugent autographed guitar on eBay, click here. To learn more about the Anti-Bear Referendum Coalition, visit savemainesbearhunt.com. And to learn about the group supporting the referendum, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, visit www.fairbearhunt.com.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.