• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

WyoFile

Indepth News about Wyoming People, Places & Policy. Wyoming news.

  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19
  • Latest News
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Legislature
    • Native America
    • Natural Resources
    • People
    • Photo Friday
    • Places
    • Policy
  • Voices
    • Drake’s Take
    • Madden’s Measure
    • Guest Column
    • Studio Wyoming Review
  • Supporters
    • Membership
    • Underwriting
    • Foundations
  • COVID-19

Bear Baiting is Not Sport

March 12, 2010 by The Sage Grouse Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Pin
Email
0 Shares
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Sage Grouse

Bear Baiting is Not Sport

Hunting wary ducks, deer and pheasants requires stealth, skill and often a significant commitment of energy which requires physical conditioning.  The chance that many of the prey might get away, coupled with the foregoing, is what many hunters consider to define sportsmanship.  I have bagged many deer and a few antelope, a few elk, a few goats and a big horn sheep, and lots of birds, and for the most part I have been proud of the sportsmanship shown by myself and my ethical companions.

Wilderness sheep and elk hunters frequently encounter grizzly bears, which sometimes leads to a mauling by the bear or a shooting by the hunter.  These encounters involve factors beyond the control of the sportsman, which, again, makes these activities somewhat sportsmanlike, sometimes more so than others.  It has been my good fortune that when I encountered grizzlies, they were smart enough to go the other way and I was smart enough to do the same.

Then there is bear baiting.  This tactic, almost always practiced in the spring, usually involves buying an old horse or mule and leading it into the woods, shooting it in the head, and leaving it there.  My father told me of practices of enhancing the bait with bacon grease, peanut butter and other stinky substances.  The hunter leaves this mess of meat and whatever to rot and stink in the sun until the bears, emerging hungrily from their winter dens, fall upon the unexpected treat to gorge themselves, whereupon the hunter, hiding in his blind, shoots them like target practice, like dogs.

This practice is actually legal.  Baiting ducks has been illegal for 80 years.  I had not thought about this for years until my editor asked “what the hell is this?” but maybe people should contact the Board of Outfitters and ask them why they allow licensed outfitters to lure bears into traps to be shot remorselessly.

This is not sportsmanlike.  This is lawn chair murder.


Popular Articles:


Zinke review team calls for big changes to Obama era-plans


Ryan’s health care freedom promised bankruptcy


Trump’s brilliant strategy


Filed Under: The Sage Grouse

About The Sage Grouse

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules:
- Identify yourself with full name and city. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same.
- No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Tweets by @WyoFile

Search WyoFile

Become an Underwriter
Sign Up for Free Weekly Newsletters

Recent Comments

  • Harvey Reading on Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol
  • Travis Samulski on Lawmakers defied mask orders at session kick-off in Capitol
  • Terry Solon on Oil and gas industry doesn’t need another handout
  • Jan Blair on Cheney’s ‘vote of conscience’ deserves respect
  • Carson Stanwood on Cheney’s ‘vote of conscience’ deserves respect

Footer

Recent Posts By Date

January 2021
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec    

From The Archives

  • About Us
  • People
  • Careers
  • Freelancing
  • Underwriting
  • How to Republish
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 by WyoFile