baiting bears in wa
 

I was talking with a couple of other guys that hunt for bear here in western washington and they where saying that you can bait them ten days prior to opening day, but you have to have you bait gone by midnight the night before. Anybody hear of this and is it legal?
Thanks

RE: baiting bears in wa
 

Dont do it, baiting bears is illegal. You can bait deer and elk though according to the wac's, cant bait game birds either. If they are turn them in, maybe youll get 10 poaching points to use for deer or elk. :D

RE: baiting bears in wa
 

Well, you know... I don't remember reading in the regs that you can't feed bears prior to the season so this seems like they're taking advantage of a loop hole.

They feed the bears (without hunting them) prior to the season so the bears develop a pattern. They take the food away the night before and hunt the following day in the hops that the bears will return for the food they're used to getting.

I don't think this is an issue of legality but more of ethics.

I wouldn't do it. [:'(]

RE: baiting bears in wa
 

The fish and game folks dont take the baiting issue are serious are you would think I have turned someone in multiple times (bacon greese in tub tied to tree) and they wouldnt do anything they finnaly stopped returning my calls I guss they couldnt be bothered.

RE: baiting bears in wa
 

Don't do it!

A judge on the Olympic Peninsula deemed the law too vague and let off a bunch of poachers a couple years ago, but the DA reccommended that people don't try it in other counties.

You can also get busted for "harassment of game" or "habituation". There are too many bears in Washington to risk it.

RE: baiting bears in wa
 

Thanks for the info, I didn't think it was to good of an idea. I wasn't planning on baiting them it just sounded fishy to me.