UPDATE April 29, 2025
We did it! AB 1038, the Bear Hounding and Hunting bill, failed to get enough votes yesterday to make it out of committee, so it’s dead for this year. But, I expect it will return in 2026, so thank you to all of you who made your voices heard in Sacramento over the last few weeks. We will need those voices again in the future, so please stay involved. The bears need you.
Assembly Member Hadwick applied a full-court press in support of her bill, bussing in dozens of supporters wearing orange t-shirts with a logo of a dog chasing a bear and the ironic caption, “Keep wildlife wild”. Hard for bears to stay wild when they’re dead, I think.
The bill needed seven votes to pass, and unfortunately, it received six votes, which is six too many. Some of the Assembly members were concerned about the fact the bill allowed hunting of bears, when Hadwick promoted her bill as merely a non-lethal hazing tool for the safety of the public. For an alleged non-lethal option, it begs the question why the organizational support for the bill came mostly from hunting advocacy groups like the NRA and the California Rifle & Pistol Association. The reality is, AB 1038 was a hunting bill barely disguised as a wildlife management tool. Fortunately, the rest of the committee saw through this deception.
For now, the bears can rest a little easier in California, knowing that packs of GPS-collared dogs won’t be hounding them through forests and towns for hours at a time. Today the battle is won, but the war will rage on, and I plan on being there on the front lines to defend the bears.
If you are interested in watching the hearing, please watch below:
🐻 Say NO to Assembly Bill 1038
Protect California’s Bears!
What Is AB 1038?
Assembly Bill 1038 (introduced by Assemblymember Hadwick) seeks to reinstate the use of hounds for bear hunting in California—an inhumane and outdated practice that was banned in 2012 under Senate Bill 1221 and opposed by 83% of Californians at the time.
Supporters claim it’s about managing bear populations—but in reality, AB 1038 is a hunting bill in disguise, not a genuine solution for wildlife management.
❌ Why You Should Oppose AB 1038
1. Flawed Science, False Claims
- Relies on inaccurate population estimates and flawed methodology.
- Uses camera trap data without age/gender verification.
- Bears naturally change in appearance—making ID unreliable.
2. Inhumane and Unethical Hunting Practices
- Bear hounding causes immense stress, injury, and trauma to animals.
- Chased bears may collapse, fall, or become separated from cubs.
- Hunters let GPS-collared dogs do the tracking and shoot treed bears—this is not sport.
🎥 Watch what bear hounding really looks like (viewer discretion is advised)
3. No Real Benefit to Public Safety
- Bear conflicts are linked to food attractants, not lack of fear.
- Solutions like bear-proof trash bins, education, and deterrents work better.
4. We Already Have Legal Tools to Handle Problem Bears
Current California law allows the use of dogs for bear control under strictly regulated depredation permits. AB 1038 simply seeks to circumvent these protections and bring back widespread bear hounding.
✅ What Should Be Done Instead?
- Secure trash and remove food attractants.
- Educate the public on coexisting with bears.
- Use non-lethal deterrents like electric fencing and aversive conditioning.
- Improve accurate, localized bear population data.
📢 Speak Up for California’s Wildlife!
AB 1038 is not the answer. It’s a step backwards for ethical wildlife management. Let your legislators know that Californians care about humane, science-backed policies—not a return to outdated and cruel hunting tactics.
📝 Contact your Assemblymember today and urge them to vote NO on AB 1038!
Here’s how:
Call your Assembly member
You can also just call your Assembly member and voice your concerns about AB 1038, particularly if you are one of the Assembly member’s constituents in the Assembly districts below. If you’re a California voter and you want to know what Assembly District you live in and who your Assembly Member is, visit https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/. The members of the committee hearing this bill are:
| Papan, Diane (Chair) (District 21) | (916) 319-2021 |
| Gonzalez, Jeff (Vice-Chair) (District 36) | (916) 319-2036 |
| Alvarez, David (District 80) | (916) 319-2080 |
| Avila Farias, Anamarie (District 15) | (916) 319-2015 |
| Bains, Jasmeet Kaur (District 35) | (916) 319-2035 |
| Bennett, Steve (District 38) | (916) 319-2038 |
| Boerner, Tasha (District 77) | (916) 319-2077 |
| Caloza, Jessica (District 52) | (916) 319-2052 |
| Hart, Gregg (District 37) | (916) 319-2037 |
| Macedo, Alexander (District 33) | (916) 319-2033 |
| Rodriguez, Celeste (District 43) | (916) 319-2043 |
| Rogers, Chris (District 2) | (916) 319-2002 |
| Tangipa, David (District 8) | (916) 319-2008 |