Bear-baiting bill full of shortcomings

Responding to constituents’ requests is a good idea for politicians. It shows attention and compassion and pays dividends at the ballot box.

But when money is involved and one group attempts to feather its nest by using a politician’s inclination to help — while trampling the rights of others — society must hope common sense prevails. Politicians also don’t always foresee unintended consequences.

We hope the latter was the case when Sen. Harry Brown (R-Jacksonville) introduced Senate Bill 352 that would allow baiting of black bears.

North Carolina long has banned baiting of many wild game species, as biologists know food concentrates animals and birds. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission tweaked that law a handful of years ago to avoid conflicts between bear hunters who can’t bait and deer hunters who can. Bear hunters still can’t dispense bait, but the Commission allows their dogs to “strike” a bear’s trail near a bait pile and chase the bruin.

But SB 352 would end that law, which has produced a healthy bear population and some of the world’s best hunting in North Carolina. So why amend a successful bear-baiting law?

Apparently Brown heard from a few people in his district who have land inhabited by black bears. He sympathized because they couldn’t use bait — but dog hunters could. However, unleashing a hound at a bait pile to chase a bruin is different than sitting in a blind or tree stand near a bait pile and unleashing a .30-06 bullet into a bear’s heart.

Bear hunters who lease land believe landowners and outfitters released to legally bait bears could expect higher land-lease prices. With baiting bears legal, what farmer would lease his land to a bear-dog club for $3,000 when he could get $6,000 from an outfitter or group of still hunters? That’s a no-brainer.

One former biologist told us he doesn’t think the legislature will respond to entreaties about high-lease fees that might overwhelm bear-dog hunters’ pocketbooks, but lawmakers might listen if the problem were couched in conservation terms.

We think this is definitely a conservation issue.

If one allows bow hunters and firearms hunters to use bait, a large increase in the bear harvest would be the likely result.

“I’ve heard biologists say if you kill too many bears, it could drop the bear population in a short time,” he said, while admitting he wouldn’t argue against a special bear tag.

“It could be like swan permits,” he said. “Everyone could apply, but not everyone who applied would get a permit.”

North Carolina’s growing bear population needs control, but a larger bag limit, longer season or special permits could solve that problem without baiting’s unknown risks.