Imagine a terrified black bear sprinting through the forest, chased for miles by a pack of dogs until she collapses from exhaustion or climbs a tree in fear. She might be a mother—her cubs now lost or left behind. Then, a hunter arrives and shoots her where she clings for her life.

This is not rare. In Nevada, it’s routine.

95% of bears killed by hunters in the past three years were hounded—chased down by packs of dogs and killed once cornered. According to wildlife advocates and veterinary experts, the practice causes extreme stress, overheating, and even death for both the bears and the dogs used in the chase. Two of the female bears killed recently were lactating. One had dependent cubs.

This is not fair chase. This is not wildlife management. It’s cruelty, plain and simple.

Hounding is already banned in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. These states realized what Nevada’s leaders refuse to see: that chasing wild animals to exhaustion, maiming them, or orphaning their young is not ethical, not sustainable, and not what the public wants.

In fact, only 13% of Nevada residents support hounding. The rest of us—animal lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, families, voters—are being ignored by a Wildlife Commission dominated by hunting interests. The state’s own data shows the Commission has chosen to use the highest possible population estimates to justify selling more hunting tags, while refusing to acknowledge the harm being done to Nevada’s fragile bear population, their cubs, and countless non-target species.

We demand:

• An immediate end to the use of hounds in bear hunting in Nevada
• A shortened bear hunting season to allow bears to safely fatten before hibernation
• Balanced representation on the Nevada Wildlife Commission, so non-hunters have a voice in protecting wildlife

If we allow this cruelty to continue, we are complicit. If we raise our voices together, we can protect Nevada’s black bears, their cubs, and the wild spaces they call home.

Sign this petition if you believe Nevada’s bears deserve better than to be hounded to death.