Wyoming Hunter Angry After Putting Out Bait, Then Another Uses It To Shoot Bear

A Park County hunter is angry after putting out bear bait only to have other hunters use his bait to shoot a bear. He says that’s “unethical and immoral,” while one of the other hunters says they never got close and it’s a misunderstanding.

Mark Heinz
May 15, 2026
7 min read


Donny Paul of Cody likes to go bear hunting in the Bighorn Mountains. (Courtesy Donny Paul)

Two Park County black bear hunters are at odds over what allegedly happened this week at one of the hunters' bear bait sites at the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains. ... Donny Paul told Cowboy State Daily that a party of four hunters used his bait site to find and shoot a bear.

While that’s not illegal in Wyoming, Paul said it’s definitely “unethical and immoral,” and he’s mad about it. ... Paul said he confronted the other hunters at the site, and tried to be polite about the situation at the time.

Richard Tatom, who was among the party of four, told Cowboy State Daily that one of his friends shot a bear with a bow that day, and that there was a confrontation with Paul over it.

However, he thinks Paul misread the situation, because the bear was actually shot across the basin from Paul’s bait barrel.

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Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.