A new Trump administration rule allows hunters to bait bears on federal lands in Alaska with bacon, doughnuts, meat scraps or other human foods typically used to help kill the trophy animals at close range.
Opponents say the practice will cause bears to be more aggressive around humans, and allege that the rule change is a political gift to largely rightwing trophy hunters. The rule replaces a 2024 Biden administration rule that banned the practice, and environmental groups criticized the move as “indefensible and inexcusable”.
“We are discouraged to see this rule come back, specifically the bear baiting piece which is cruel and dangerous, not only to wildlife but the public as well,” said Drew Robertson, senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals.
The US interior department on Friday published the rule on the federal register, and it will take effect in mid-November. It marks the latest in a series of rule changes at the state and federal levels since 2023 that allow trophy hunters to use what critics say are barbaric and unethical practices to kill animals.
…
Haha noooo. There’ll be a lot of fucked up animals limping around. When hunting, you want everything to be as precise as possible. Could be the best marksmen in the world, you still want as high precision a firearm as you can afford.
If only that mattered. The best hunters are like the golfers who can sink putts with a shovel. I have known hunters, including the most loud and proud red blooded American 2A all the way high dollar rigged professional trophy collectors, who are in my opinion dogshit shooters. The best are only there because the other options are chicken or vegetarian. They can get more done with something their great grandpa bought from the sears catalog.