With the repeal of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule protecting bears and other carnivores in Alaska refuges, the state could again begin to allow hunters to attract grizzly bears with bait, a practice some consider to violate the sporting ethos of “fair chase.”
These Iconic Animals Could Again Be Hunted in Alaska's Refuges
Congress has voted to overturn an Obama-era rule prohibiting the hunting of bears, wolves, and other predators in Alaska's wildlife refuges.
Sprawling over 77 million acres, Alaska’s 16 national wildlife refuges are peppered with iconic animals, from grizzly bears and black bears to wolves and coyotes. But these predators, which have enjoyed increased protections since this past summer, could once again be hunted using controversial methods such as trapping and baiting.
A measure passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday would abolish a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule enacted in August that largely banned hunting in Alaska’s wildlife refuges, which stretch from the remote Arctic in the north to the Aleutian Islands extending far to the west. The resolution previously cleared the House of Representatives and now needs only President Donald Trump’s signature to become law.
The Obama-era rule specifically
