Alaska Federal Lands: Bear Baiting Returns November 12

Hunters in Alaska have long debated how to manage bear populations on federal lands. That debate now has a concrete answer as the new hunting season approaches.

The U.S. Department of the Interior published a final rule in the Federal Register on Friday. The regulation takes effect on November 12. It permits hunters to use human food to lure bears on federal properties. Common lures include bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps. The primary goal is to allow hunters to take trophy animals at close range.

This rule replaces a 2024 order from the Biden administration that prohibited baiting. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the new framework responds to requests from Alaska residents. He called it a commonsense approach that gives locals a stronger voice in decisions affecting their local wildlife and traditions.

The federal rule does not list specific types of food. It defers to state regulations, which already allow baiting. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explained that hunters typically select cheap and effective options. These are usually high in fat and sugar. Hunters place the food in a steel drum or garbage can. They keep watch from a nearby blind and shoot the bear at short range.

Critics argue the method changes the nature of sport hunting. Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, described the practice as cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. He noted that many hunters do not view baiting as a fair chase. Robertson said the rule feels more like a political favor than a scientific necessity.

The change follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump early in his second term. The order, titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential, directed the reissuance of the rule. It joins a list of recent moves to permit contested hunting methods in Alaska. These include shooting bears from helicopters and using artificial lights to draw bears from dens.

The history of this rule dates back to the Obama administration, which first imposed a ban. The first Trump administration reversed that ban, but courts sided with the Obama rule. The Biden administration reinstated the ban in 2024 based on scientific findings that baiting increases bear aggression. Arrivo questioned the legality of the new rule, arguing that federal lands were created to keep decision-making power at the national level rather than the state level.