Bear Baiting Is Unethical and Unsportsmanlike! We Won't Stand for It!

Final signature count: 0

0 signatures toward our 30,000 goal

The killing of animals for food or sport is a highly debatable topic, but there are some inhumane hunting practices that should never be up for debate, because the ethical concerns they raise far outweigh the potential benefits. Bear baiting is one of those hunting practices.

Bear baiting is a way for hunters to lure unsuspecting bears into a predesignated area where they will be hunted. Weeks before the season begins, hunters leave high-calorie foods out to pique the bears’ interest and keep them coming back to the same location day after day¹. When the hunting season begins, hunters hide near their bait spots and simply wait for the bears to stop by, where they become easy targets.

Tricking the bears into staying in one area so they can be easily killed is unfair and unsportsmanlike. It makes bears act like sitting ducks rather than forcing hunters to pursue them in a fair chase. It also draws bears nearer to populated areas, increasing the number of unwanted human-bear encounters. Similarly, since many bears flock to bait traps to eat, there are more bears in those areas, which creates opportunities for intra-species conflict, especially conflicts involving young cubs being attacked by older animals².

On top of all that, the “food” hunters provide is not healthy for the bears. According to the HSUS, bear bait often consists of “donuts, candy, grease, rotting garbage, corn, fish, meat and other high-calorie foods.” Many bear baits contain theobromine, which is toxic to bears and other animals that might be tempted by the trap. And since many animals feed at the same spot, diseases like rabies can be more easily transmitted³.

Bear baiting, therefore, should be banned as an unethical and inhumane hunting practice, both for the benefit of the bears and the benefit of human beings.

Hunting regulations are handled on a state-by-state basis, making it difficult to tackle this entire issue in one fell swoop. If, however, we can stop bear baiting in the states with the most tolerant bear-baiting policies and the best ratings for bear-hunting trophy potential, like Wisconsin and Utah³, we can set a precedent for the rest of the nation and hopefully stop bear baiting in all fifty states.

Sign the petition to tell the Department of Natural Resources of Wisconsin, one of the most bear-hunted states in the country, to make this inhumane practice illegal.