AUGUSTA — Maine’s fall hunting seasons are getting closer, as bear hunters in the state can start setting bait for bears in less than two weeks.

The bear hunt lasts from late August to late November, but most of it takes place in the first few weeks, when it’s legal to lure bears with bait. Hunters are allowed to start laying bait on Aug. 1.

The fall deer, moose and turkey seasons all follow the start of the bear hunt. Those animals make up the state’s “big four” game animals.

Bear baiting is controversial in Maine, and opponents of the practice are in the midst of a drive to try to phase it out by the end of the decade.