Doughnut Dumping Means Bad News for Bears

The smell of doughnuts will soon be in the air in the Maine woods, which is good news for hunters and bad news for black bears.

Bear hunters in the state are allowed to start placing bait in legal hunting areas starting on Saturday. Bear bait is typically sugary human food such as doughnuts and pastries.

The bear baiting season precedes the bear hunting season, which begins Aug. 29 and ends Nov. 26. Hunters can only use bait until Sept. 24. Most bears taken during the annual hunt are lured with the use of bait.

There is also a season for hunting bears with the use of hunting dogs, which runs from Sept. 12 to Oct. 28.