Two Jessup hunters were charged with illegally baiting black bears with cookies and cakes.
Kendall T. Hayden, 51, and Frederick C. Wieland Jr., 42, face up to $1,500 in fines for attempting to lure bears Monday with baked goods while hunting on private property off Cranesville Road in Oakland in Garrett County, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
After receiving an anonymous tip, Natural Resources police found a 40-by-50-foot area where the pair allegedly scattered sweets 30 to 40 yards from their tree stand.
Officers seized Hayden?s firearm as evidence and also charged him with failure to wear daylight fluorescent orange.
The hunters can either pay a $500 fine or appear Jan. 18 for trial in Garrett County District Court, Turner said.
Bear hunting officially ended at 9 p.m. Tuesday when 41 bears were harvested in Garrett and Allegany counties.
The hunts came under fire this week when the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which lobbies for animal-protection laws, called the sport inhumane and unnecessary following a previous 50-year moratorium enacted in 1953 when the bear population dwindled to 12.
But the Maryland Sportsmen?s Association defends the hunts as a way to keep the state?s current population ? estimated at 326 ? in check.
“The conservation and management of a natural resource is our main concern, with the hunter being the true conservationist,” said Wendy Donahoo, president of the Maryland Sportsmen?s Association.
Hunters cannot bait bear, turkeys and migratory birds, according to state law.
Deer can be baited, but only on private property.
People can report illegal hunting activity anonymously by calling the Catch a Poacher 24-hour hotline at 800-635-6124.
