Bear Baiting: Donuts and Bullets

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	Bear baiting endangers people and causes lethal problems for bears.

Bear baiting is the practice of hunters using piles of donuts, rotting meat or other garbage to lure bears into their gunsights. An unsuspecting bear begins to eat, and a hunter in a nearby tree stand picks him off at close range.

Unsporting Practice Endangers Animals and People

Not only is bear baiting unsporting and inhumane—even by the standards of the hunting community, which holds that animals must have a "reasonable chance" to avoid being killed—the practice also creates "problem bears." Problem bears are animals who have become accustomed to obtaining human food. More likely to raid campsites or break into cars, cabins or trash cans, habituated animals increase dangerous conflicts between bears and people.

The unsporting practice of bear baiting sacrifices the safety of campers, vacationers and bear country residents to the interests of a few hunters after an easy kill. 

Ten states still allow bear baiting: Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

What You Can Do

Get the facts on bear baiting, and help us make bear baiting illegal in every state.

See the Video

Bear Baiting

Bear Hounding

Related Links

Fact Sheet on Bear Baiting

Laws and Legislation on Bear Baiting

Hounding Bears to Death