Alaska hunters can now use food to lure bears on federal land

Roughly a dozen states currently allow the practice, but the United States interior department has now extended that permission to federal lands in Alaska. The agency published a final rule in the federal register on Friday that permits hunters to lure bears with human food items. The regulation will take effect in mid-November, replacing a 2024 order from the Biden administration that had prohibited the method.

The shift follows a long history of legal and political battles over bear management. President Barack Obama’s administration first imposed a ban, which the first Trump administration later reversed. Courts ultimately upheld the Obama rule and struck down the initial Trump reversal. The Biden administration reinstated the prohibition in 2024, citing scientific evidence that baiting increases bear aggression and endangers park visitors. The current move stems from an executive order signed by Donald Trump early in his second term, titled Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential.

Under the new framework, the federal government does not specify which foods may be used. Instead, it defers to state regulations, which already permit baiting. Nicholas Arrivo, a managing attorney at Animal Protection Law, explained that hunters typically select the cheapest and most effective options, such as high fat and high sugar items. He noted that the process usually involves placing food in a steel drum or garbage can, monitoring the site, and shooting the bear at short range from a blind.

Interior secretary Doug Burgum described the measure as a commonsense framework in a press release. He stated that the rule responds to demands from Alaska residents and gives them a stronger voice in decisions affecting their lands, wildlife, and traditions. Conversely, Drew Robertson, a senior regulatory specialist for Humane World for Animals, called the return of the rule cruel and dangerous. Robertson argued that the practice is more extreme than traditional hunting and that many hunters would not view it as a fair chase.

Environmental groups have labeled the new measure indefensible and inexcusable. Critics argue that the change reflects a political favor to trophy hunters rather than a careful scientific consideration. Robertson pointed to the executive order that directed the reissuance of the rule as evidence of this motive. The development follows other recent moves by federal and state officials to permit contested hunting methods, including shooting bears from helicopters and wolf pups in their dens.

Legal challenges are likely. Arrivo rejected the argument that the rule grants appropriate state control, noting that Congress created the federal land program to place decision-making power with the federal government. He described the approach as anathema to federal land management goals of preserving wildlife diversity. While no decision on a lawsuit has been made yet, Arrivo suggested that scrapping the 2024 rule, which underwent a more robust scientific process, raises questions about the legality of the new regulation.

The rule takes effect in the coming weeks, marking a significant change in how bears are managed on federal property. For working families and visitors to Alaska, the shift could mean encountering bears that are more accustomed to human food sources. As the administration moves forward with its broader resource potential agenda, the balance between state tradition and federal scientific management remains a central point of debate.