State to Ban Chocolate as Bait After 4 Bears Found Dead

New Hampshire is banning chocolate as bear bait after four animals were found dead at one bait site last fall.

The Concord Monitor (http://bit.ly/1PH9OWL ) reports the Fish and Game Department approved the new rule Wednesday to restrict what hunters can use to lure bears. The ban goes into effect in the 2016 hunting season.

After a sow and three cubs died 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.