Groups plan suit over Wyoming, Idaho bear baiting

Environmental groups have filed notice they will sue the U.S. government for letting hunters use bait to lure bears in national forests in two Western states.

Hunters in Wyoming and Idaho often lure black bears with bait including livestock parts.

Erik Molvar with the Western Watersheds Project tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that baiting also attracts grizzly bears, causing hunters to kill several grizzlies in national forests.

Grizzly hunting isn’t allowed in the lower 48 states. A judge halted plans for Idaho and Wyoming grizzly hunts by restoring federal protections for Yellowstone-region grizzlies in September.

Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, filed notice Wednesday they will sue over bear baiting.

Forest officials declined comment, citing policy not to comment on litigation.