Federal Rule Reopens Alaska Lands to Bear Baiting in Mid-November

The US Department of the Interior has issued a rule allowing hunters on federal lands in Alaska to attract bears using human food, including bacon, doughnuts and meat scraps. The regulation was published in the federal register on Friday, October 24, 2026, and is scheduled to take effect in mid-November.

The new measure replaces a 2024 rule issued under the Biden administration that prohibited the practice. Environmental groups have called the new measure "indefensible and inexcusable". The process typically involves hunters placing food in a steel drum or garbage can, keeping watch nearby, and shooting the bear at close range from a concealed position. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, stated that hunters generally choose "the cheapest and most effective food, which is high fat and high sugar".

Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, described the baiting provision as "cruel and dangerous, not only to wildlife but the public as well". Robertson also characterized the method as "a more extreme practice than the hunting traditions that people think of, and many hunters would not see this as a fair chase". About a dozen states permit similar baiting practices, though a larger number of states do not.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a press release that the rule addresses the demands of Alaska residents, calling it a "commonsense framework" that provides Alaskans "a stronger voice in decisions affecting the lands, wildlife and traditions they know best". The regulation stems from an executive order signed by Donald Trump early in his second administration titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential. Robertson argued that because the order directed the rule to be reissued, the change reflects political motivation rather than careful consideration.

The issue has a long history of reversal. The Obama administration first imposed a ban, which was subsequently reversed by the first Trump administration; litigation then upheld the Obama rule and overturned the Trump rule. The Biden administration reinstated the prohibition in 2024, citing science indicating baiting makes bears more aggressive and endangers park visitors. Arrivo rejected the argument that the rule transfers appropriate control to the state, noting that the lands are federal and Congress created the federal land program to place decision-making power with the federal government. He added that scrapping the 2024 rule, which underwent a more robust scientific process, "doesn't smell right and raises questions about the legality of this rule". No decision has been made regarding a lawsuit.

The rule follows other recent measures by Alaska and federal officials to permit contested hunting methods, including shooting bears from helicopters, shooting swimming caribou from motor boats, killing wolf pups in their dens, and using artificial lights to draw bears out of dens.