Burgum's Interior Department Revives Bear Baiting in Alaska

The practice of luring bears with human food returns to more than 28 million acres of federal land in Alaska in mid-November. The US interior department published the final rule in the federal register on Friday. It replaces a 2024 restriction that had prohibited the method.

Hunters may now use items such as bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps to attract trophy animals. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explained that hunters typically select high-fat, high-sugar foods because they are cheap and effective. The standard procedure involves placing the bait in a steel drum or garbage can, monitoring it, and shooting the bear at close range from a blind.

Interior secretary Doug Burgum defended the change in a press release. He described the rule as a commonsense framework that responds to demands from Alaska residents. Burgum stated the measure gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions regarding the lands and wildlife they know best.

Critics argue the policy favors trophy hunters over conservation. Drew Robertson, senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, called the provision cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. He noted that the method is more extreme than traditional hunting and that many hunters do not view it as a fair chase.

The rule defers to state regulations for specific food choices rather than naming items in federal law. Environmental groups have labeled the measure indefensible and inexcusable. Robertson linked the change to an executive order signed by Donald Trump early in his second administration titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential.

This decision continues a pattern of recent federal moves to allow contested hunting methods. These include shooting bears from helicopters and killing wolf pups in their dens. The issue has a long legal history. The Obama administration first banned baiting, the first Trump administration reversed it, and courts eventually upheld the ban. The Biden administration reinstated the prohibition in 2024 based on scientific findings that baiting makes bears more aggressive around people.

Arrivo challenged the federal government's delegation of authority to the state. He argued that Congress created the federal land program to keep decision-making power at the federal level. He described the new approach as anathema to federal land management goals of preserving wildlife diversity. Arrivo said the repeal of the 2024 rule raises questions about its legality, though no lawsuit has been filed yet.