Unregistered and unlimited bear baiting is allowed in Wisconsin’s national forests, even though its causing deadly conflicts between wolves and bear hunting hounds and conditioning bears into being fed by humans. Bear hunters place baits to attract bears so their hounds can later chase them during Wisconsin’s two-month summer bear hound training season which begins annually on July 1st.
WDNR allows up to 10 gallons of baits like these to be dumped on national forest lands from mid-April until mid-October, literally the entire length of time black bears are out of hibernation.
Over 4 million gallons of food waste is dumped every year during Wisconsin’s bear hound training & bear hunting season which begins in July and runs until mid-October. Chocolate can also be used as bear bait even though states like Michigan have banned its use because it is deadly to bears and canines, especially bear cubs and wolf pups.
Wisconsin bear hunters like Jason Welch don’t care if their bait kills bear cubs or wolf pups, as long as they can chase bears through the national forests from July until October every year.
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the U.S. Forest Service do not require any license or permits of any kind for residents or nonresidents to bait bears and chase them with packs of hounds during July and August when federally protected gray wolves are protective of pups like those in this video. Baiting bears in our national forests causes conflicts and changes the natural behavior of wildlife and should no longer be allowed.
An exposed and unregistered bear bait in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, less than a mile from where federally protected gray wolves killed a bear hound on July 21, 2019.
It’s time WDNR & the US Forest Service do something about unregistered and unlimited bear baiting and hound training in Wisconsin’s national forests and federally protected wildlife habitat.
Send emails to Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest officials:
cnnfadmin@fs.fed.us
WDNR Secretary:
preston.cole@wisconsin.gov
Wolf pup in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and WDNR Wolf Caution Area designated after wolves killed a bear hound close by on July 13, 2019.
Wolf Patrol 