Burgum Says Alaska Bear Baiting Rule Gives Residents a Stronger Voice on Wildlife

The US interior department finalized a rule on Friday that allows hunters to bait bears with human food on federal lands in Alaska.

The new regulation takes effect in mid-November 2026. It replaces a 2024 rule from the Biden administration that prohibited the practice. The department will follow state regulations rather than naming specific foods. State rules generally permit baiting with high-fat and high-sugar items such as bacon, doughnuts, and meat scraps.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the change in a press release. He stated that the rule responds to demands from Alaska residents. Burgum called the measure a commonsense framework that gives Alaskans a stronger voice in decisions about their local lands and wildlife traditions.

Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explained the typical hunting method. Hunters place the 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 the rule defers to state control, even though the lands are federal. He argued that this approach is anathema to federal land management goals of preserving wildlife diversity.

Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, criticized the move. He described the baiting provision as cruel and dangerous to both wildlife and the public. Robertson said the practice is more extreme than traditional hunting and that many hunters would not view it as a fair chase. He argued that the rule stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump early in his second administration. The order, titled Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, directed the rule to be reissued.

The rule follows recent actions by federal officials to permit other contested hunting methods. These include shooting bears from helicopters, killing wolf pups in dens, and using artificial lights to draw bears out. Bear baiting is not unique, as about a dozen states allow similar practices. The issue has a long legal history. The Obama administration first imposed a ban, and the first Trump administration reversed it. Litigation upheld the Obama rule. The Biden administration reinstated the ban in 2024 based on science indicating that baiting makes bears more aggressive around people.