The National Park Service has decided to ban bear hunting in Alaska for pleasure. Conservation groups welcome the move, but some say the new hunting rule does not go far enough.

The new federal ban on bear baiting applies only to sport hunters in National Park Service-managed protected areas in Alaska. It applies to black and brown bears but does not affect subsistence hunting.

The park service cited safety concerns. Visitors could stumble upon a bait station and have an unpleasant encounter with a bear defending its food, the rule says. Hunters who use bears as bait typically use dog food, doughnuts or bacon grease, which the park service says poses a public safety risk because it habituates bears to human food sources.

The ban comes after years of legislation passed and then rolled back depending on which administration took office. The agency also had to comply with a judge's ruling in a legal dispute over previous hunting laws in Alaska.

The National Parks Conservation Association says the new ban is too narrow. Previous versions banned the killing of black bear cubs, female bears with cubs and the hunting of wolf cubs for hunting during hibernation. These practices are permitted under the current rule.

Meanwhile, the state of Alaska and many sport hunters believe the federal government should leave wildlife management to the state.

Rod Arno, policy director for the Alaska Outdoor Council, said by text message that the state is gradually losing more authority over wildlife management. He said the rule represents a lost opportunity to kill bears, which he said leaves fewer moose for human consumption.