There are numerous studies by state agencies and private organizations addressing whether the state's fishing and hunting "inventories" are going up or down.

To wit, are we doing the right thing in managing the deer, moose and fish that sportsmen like to pursue?

One organization that is bullish on the future is L.L. Bean, which is adding a fishing and hunting building in Freeport as seen in photo here.

Bean has many things going for it, of course.

Its brand is internationally known. The quality of its products is supreme.

And when families go shopping, even the men get into the act. Rare is the male who doesn't wander into the sportsmen's shop when the women are buying clothes, furniture or personal items.

And the folks at Bean are remarkably successful. Their net sales were up in 2006 by 4.6 percent, for a total of $1.54 billion.

The bonus to employees was $25.5 million, according to Bean statistics.

Does fishing and hunting have a future in Maine? Managers at L.L. Bean certainly think so.

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