Maine’s bear population was between 21,000 and 23,000 in 2000, but since 2005 it has increased to more than 35,000. Press Herald file photo

Six years after an initiative to ban bear-baiting by hunters was defeated at the polls for a second time, proponents of that effort are taking a new approach, through the state’s rule-making process.

In a virtual public hearing Wednesday, state biologists heard comments on a petition that seeks to establish a bear-baiting season and a limited baiting permit program that would be phased out gradually and eliminated after 2029.

In 2004, a referendum that sought to end three common bear hunting practices in Maine – use of bait, dogs and traps – was defeated 53 percent to 47…