Alaska hunting rules: federal lands permit bear baiting again
A new regulation effective in mid-November allows hunters to use human food to lure bears on public land, replacing a 2024 ban.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
Hunters on federal lands in Alaska will soon be able to place human food on the ground to attract bears. The Trump administration finalized a rule on Friday that lifts the ban on this practice, which opponents say turns wildlife into easy targets and increases the risk of aggressive encounters with people.
The regulation appears in the federal register and takes effect in mid-November. It reverses a 2024 rule from the Biden administration that prohibited baiting. Under the new framework, the federal government does not list specific approved foods. Instead, it defers to state regulations, which already permit the use of items like bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps to draw animals into range for trophy hunters.
Environmental groups have pushed back against the change. Drew Robertson, senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, described the baiting provision as cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. He argued that the rule stems from an executive order signed by Donald Trump titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential. Robertson said the directive points to a political motive rather than a careful scientific review.
Interior secretary Doug Burgum defended the move in a press release. He stated that the rule responds to demands from Alaska residents. Burgum called it a commonsense framework that gives locals a stronger voice in decisions affecting the lands and wildlife they know best.
Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explained the mechanics of the hunt. Hunters typically place high-fat, high-sugar food in a steel drum or garbage can. They keep watch over the bait and shoot the bear at short range from a nearby blind. Arrivo noted that while about a dozen states allow similar practices, the federal approach is contentious because Congress created the federal land program to place decision-making power with the federal government, not the state.
The shift follows a pattern of recent moves by federal officials to permit contested methods in Alaska, including shooting bears from helicopters and using artificial lights to draw them from dens. The history of the ban is long; Obama imposed it, Trump reversed it, courts intervened, and Biden reinstated it in 2024. Arrivo said scrapping the 2024 rule, which went through a rigorous scientific process, raises questions about the legality of the current measure. No lawsuit has yet been filed to challenge the new rule.
