Alaska bear baiting rule takes effect

Hunters in Alaska can soon lure bears to their death using human food on federal lands.

The US Interior Department published the new rule in the federal register on Friday, October 23. It takes effect in mid-November. This move replaces a 2024 regulation from the Biden administration that had banned the practice. The change allows hunters to use items like bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps to attract trophy animals. Critics argue this makes bears more aggressive around people and serves as a political favor to trophy hunters.

The history of this issue is cyclical. President Obama’s administration first imposed a ban on baiting. The first Trump administration reversed that ban. Court litigation later upheld the Obama rule and overturned the Trump rule. The Biden administration reinstated the ban in 2024, citing science that shows baiting makes bears more aggressive and endangers park visitors. Now, the Trump administration has issued the new rule based on an executive order signed early in Donald Trump's second administration. That order is titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential.

The new rule does not name specific foods. Instead, it defers to state regulations, which generally permit baiting. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explains that hunters usually choose high-fat and high-sugar foods. These are often the cheapest and most effective options. The typical method involves placing the food in a steel drum or garbage can. Hunters then keep watch over the food and shoot the bear at short range from a nearby blind.

Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, called the return of the rule dismay. He described the baiting provision as cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. Robertson noted that this practice is more extreme than many traditional hunting methods. He said many hunters would not view this as a fair chase. Environmental groups have also labeled the new measure indefensible and inexcusable.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the change in a press release. He stated that the rule responds to demands from Alaska residents. He described it as a commonsense framework that gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions affecting their lands and wildlife traditions. The rule follows other recent moves by federal and Alaska officials to permit contested hunting methods. These include shooting bears from helicopters and using artificial lights to draw bears out of dens.

The next step involves potential legal challenges. No decision has been made on a lawsuit yet, but Arrivo questions the legality of the new approach. He argues that Congress created the federal land program to place decision-making power with the federal government. Arrivo rejected the idea that the rule gives the state appropriate control over federal lands. He said scrapping the 2024 rule, which went through a robust scientific process, does not smell right. The approach is anathema to federal land management goals of preserving wildlife diversity.