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FRANKFORT (AP) - Dogs could be used to chase black bears in Kentucky under a newly unveiled proposal that's being heralded by hunters and assailed by animal rights activists.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission could vote as early as next month to establish a roughly six-week season beginning in August for hunters to chase bears but not kill them, and another limited season in December in which hunters could shoot the bears that their dogs bay.

Kentucky Houndsmen Association member Doug Morgan said the proposal will not only provide hunters with more opportunities but will also instill a fear of people in some of the more brazen bruins that have moved into the state's mountain region.

The Humane Society of the United States criticizes chasing bears with hounds as cruel and unsporting.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)