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State Set To Propose Final Rule On Chocolate As Bear Bait

Michael Webber via Flickr CC

 

The state is issuing a final rule proposal on banning chocolate as bear bait after four animals were dead at one bait site last fall.

The Fish and Game Department meets Wednesday in Concord where it will also set the number of moose permits to be issued for the coming hunting season.

After a sow and three cubs were found dead at a bait site in Stark, toxicology and necropsy reports said they died from a toxic level of theobromine, a chemical found in chocolate products.

The state in 2011 advised hunters to stop using chocolate as bait but biologists say a total ban is the most effective and enforceable tool.

Opponents say they've never seen dead animals near bait sites and a chocolate ban will drive up costs.

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