Bear-baiting may exacerbate wolf-hunting dog conflict
Depredation (i.e., the killing or injuring of domestic animals by wildlife) is a human-wildlife conflict often addressed in conservation policy, and stakeholder support for such policy is influenced by actions taken or not taken in response to depredation. Mitigating depredation of bear-hunting dogs (Canis lupus familiaris; hereafter dogs) by gray wolves (Canis lupus; hereafter wolves;) is especially challenging. While compensation programs developed in response to wolf depredation of livestock are widespread and generally supported, compensation for wolf depredation on dogs is less common and more likely to be opposed. In the case of dogs then, actions that minimize the likelihood of depredation events are a premium option for stakeholders and a continued need for conservation science. This need is expected to grow because wolves are present in or likely to recolonize many of the states that permit bear-baiting. Currently, 30 US states permit black bear hunting, 17 allow hunting with dogs, and 10 also allow the use of bait as a hunting method. Self-sustaining wolf populations are currently found in eight states: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.