This Bill Could Ban Bear Baiting Nationwide

On July 16, US Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan introduced House Resolution 4422, the“Don’t Feed The Bears”bill, whose name might seem promising at first glance: Will this bill enforce strict penalties against peoplefeeding bears grain and molassesin their backyards? Will itprovide funding for sealed garbage cansin bear-hotspot states? Or start an animated Daniel Tiger-style educational show about fed bears running into trouble?

Unfortunately, it won’t do any of that. Thanedar’s bill would instead prohibit hunters from setting out food on federal public land with the intent to attract black bears.

The campaign to end bear baiting has until now focused largely on the states, witha ballot initiative campaign in Maineandlawsuits in Idaho and Wyoming, among several other efforts, but this would be the first federal push to ban the practice. Bear baiting is currently legal in 12 states, but only seven states have federal land that would be affected by this bill: Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

In a statement, Thanedar said, “This bill is about strengthening public safety, animal welfare, and responsible wildlife management,” claiming that the measure was intended to prevent bears from getting habituated to human food and then posing a threat to people.

However, black bears typically don’t get into conflict with humans in or around areas of federal public land that allow hunting. Most dustupsunfold around agricultural land, with bears attracted to valuable corn crops or flocks of sheep, orsemi-rural subdivisionswith trash containment problems, bird feeders, and dog food left out on back porches.National Parks have also seen a rise in conflict numbers, as backpackers with lax food containment practices enter bear habitats that see little to no hunting pressure.

Bear baiting doesn’t meaningfully contribute to these conflicts. In fact, state fish and game agencies use regulated baiting to successfully manage black bear populations. We talked to MeatEater’s resident bear guy, Clay Newcomb, for comment: “Baiting bears allows hunters to be selective in their harvest. I see it as a great tool for bear management. They’re chipping away at our methods–I ain’t for it.”

Baiting gives hunters time to observe the bears coming into a food source, allowing them to distinguish between a male bear they can target from a female who might have cubs nearby. And states oftencan’t control bear numbers to maintain a healthy carrying capacitywithoutallowing baiting.

Thanedar’s bill now heads to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which, under the current administration, will likely pose a significant hurdle for a potential bear baiting ban. Still, more than 70 advocacy groups are backing the bill, so this is definitely a credible effort to encroach on hunting rights, and one that’s not likely to go away. Sooner or later, this one is likely to come to a floor vote in Congress, and hunters will have to speak up loudly to their reps: the anti-hunters are certainly doing the same.

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