Alaska Federal Lands Permit Bear Baiting Soon

The United States interior department finalized a rule on Friday that allows hunters to use human food to lure bears on federal lands in Alaska.

The regulation takes effect in mid-November, specifically on November 12. It replaces a 2024 rule from the Biden administration that had banned the practice. The new rule does not list specific foods. Instead, it defers to state regulations, which currently permit baiting with items like bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps.

Interior secretary Doug Burgum released a statement saying the rule responds to demands from Alaska residents. He called it a commonsense framework that gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions affecting local lands and wildlife. The department argues this approach respects state traditions and local knowledge.

Conservation groups criticized the move. Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, described the provision as cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, noted that hunters generally choose high fat and high sugar foods because they are cheap and effective. He explained that hunters typically place the food in a steel drum or garbage can, watch it, and shoot the bear at short range from a blind.

The rule follows a series of recent changes by federal officials to permit other contested hunting methods in Alaska. These changes include shooting bears from helicopters, shooting swimming caribou from motor boats, killing wolf pups in their dens, and using artificial lights to draw bears from dens. While about a dozen states allow bear baiting, many others do not.

The policy shift stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump early in his second administration. The order, titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential, directed the rule to be reissued. Robertson argued that this directive points to a political motive rather than careful scientific consideration. The issue has a long legal history, with the Obama administration first imposing a ban, the first Trump administration reversing it, and the Biden administration reinstating the ban in 2024 based on science indicating baiting makes bears more aggressive.

Arrivo rejected the argument that the rule gives the state appropriate control because the lands are federal. He stated that Congress created the federal land program to place decision-making power with the federal government. He said the approach is anathema to federal land management goals of preserving wildlife diversity. Although no lawsuit has been filed yet, he noted that scrapping the 2024 rule raises questions about the legality of the new measure.