🐻 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by Assemblymember Hadwick) seeks to reinstate the use of hounds for bear hunting in California—an inhumane and outdated practice that was banned in 2012 under Senate Bill 1221 and opposed by 83% of Californians at the time.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 Let your legislators know that Californians care about humane, science-backed policies—not a return to outdated and cruel hunting tactics.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:

Register for a legislative comment account at https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/faces/register.xhtml
When asked if you are a lobbyist or whether you represent an organization, select “NO” in both cases.
Complete the required fields in the User Details box.
Complete the Captcha and Click “Register.” You will receive an email with your user name and a temporary password.

Once you log in, you will be need to create a new password. Your password must be between 8 and 20 characters, contain at least one digit, one uppercase character, and one lower case character.

Submitting a Position Letter

Click on “Submit a Letter” under the Activity bar
Select measure type AB, measure number 1038 and Regular Session.
Click on the Search button, then next
Enter or confirm that your letter is being submitted on behalf of yourself and then “Select Recipients” on the left hand side
Select the appropriate Committee (Water, Parks & Wildlife)
Select Stance (i.e., Oppose), Subject (i.e., Oppose letter for AB 1038), choose the appropriate file, and review
After you have reviewed everything is correct, click the Submit position letter
If applicable, complete the CAPTCHA to identify yourself as a human

If you are at a loss for words, please feel free to copy and paste this opposition letter and tailor it to your own tone and feelings.

Dear Members of the California Legislature,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to Assembly Bill 1038, which seeks to reinstate the inhumane and outdated practice of hunting black bears with hounds in California. This bill is being misleadingly presented as a bear management tool, despite the fact that current law already allows for the use of dogs under strictly regulated depredation permits. AB 1038 is not only unnecessary, but also fundamentally at odds with science-based wildlife management and public sentiment—83% of Californians opposed hound hunting when it was banned in 2012, and that view remains broadly shared today.

The bill is built on flawed premises, including unreliable black bear population estimates based on incomplete data and problematic modeling. The methods used by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife rely heavily on camera trap data without AI support, and population models borrow assumptions from deer hunting behaviors that don’t apply to black bear hunters. These inaccuracies exaggerate bear numbers and falsely justify more aggressive measures. Additionally, ethical concerns surrounding hound hunting remain unresolved—it causes extreme stress and potential harm to both bears and dogs, while offering hunters an unfair advantage that reduces the practice to cruelty rather than sport.

Rather than reinstating a practice known to cause ecological disruption and ethical concerns, California should prioritize real solutions: enforcing waste management policies, investing in non-lethal deterrents like electric fencing, and educating the public about coexistence with wildlife. Human-bear conflicts are driven by attractants like unsecured garbage, not a lack of fear in bears. AB 1038 is a misguided and regressive measure that fails to address the real causes of conflict and puts California’s wildlife at greater risk. I urge you to reject this bill and support compassionate, science-driven approaches to wildlife management.

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