Western bear hunters may face a baiting ban if a new bill is approved. Earlier this month, U.S. House Resolution 4422, “Don’t Feed The Bears Act of 2025,” was introduced and is currently on deck to be reviewed by the House Committee on Natural Resources. The bill would ban the use of bear-bait barrels for black bear hunting on federal lands in Wyoming and other states, according to the Cowboy State Daily.

The practice is currently legal in 12 states – seven of which allow bear-bait barrels on federal lands: Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Utah, and Wisconsin. Bear-baiting is currently banned in Montana, Washington, and Oregon.

Supporters of the bill say the practice “doesn’t meet the standards of fair chase hunting” and allows hunters to bring garbage into the outdoors. Further, it goes against federal agency regulations that have protocol against feeding wildlife – including bears – to limit human-wildlife interactions.

“All the federal land management agencies have very strict standards against feeding bears,” said Wayne Pacelle, spokesman for Animal Wellness Action, adding that, “[f]ood-conditioned bears” can lead to increased human-bear conflicts.

However, hunters say it’s a way to ensure that bear hunting is “effective and ethical” as it gives them “time to observe bears at close range” rather than if they were spot-and-stalk hunting.

With baiting, Wyoming resident Owen Miller said that, “you have time to see if it has cubs. Nobody wants to shoot a sow with cubs.”

With the bill only introduced on July 15, 2025, there are no further updates on its status or whether it will move forward.

Do you think bear-baiting should continue on federal lands?