Last week, Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Board rejected a proposal to allow bear baiting — the practice of placing food day after day to lure bears and then kill them. Environmental groups, wildlife scientists, and the board itself agreed: baiting habituates bears to humans, spreads disease, and is not sound wildlife management.

New Hampshire is one of the few states in the country that still allows bear baiting. That needs to change.

Bear baiting isn't hunting — it's a shortcut that undermines the ethics of fair chase, puts bears and other wildlife at risk of disease, and makes bears more dangerous to the communities that live near them. Vermont's own lead bear biologist recommended extending hunting seasons and adding tags as more humane, scientifically sound alternatives. Those options work. Baiting doesn't need to exist.

Vermont drew the line. We're calling on the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and state lawmakers to do the same: end bear baiting in New Hampshire now.