Posted on 07/21/2005 10:25:57 AM PDT by neverdem
Commissioner asserts both states need to work together to control the boom in bruins
New York's top wildlife official has urged New Jersey to resume a bruin hunt this winter and every year afterward, contending the two states need to work together to deal with the growing black bear population they share.
Denise Sheehan, commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, issued her plea in a July 14 letter to her New Jersey counterpart, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell.
"Managed, successful hunting seasons in both New York and New Jersey, coupled with educational programs and nuisance abatement protocols, are the keys to the sound management of this magnificent resource," she wrote.
Campbell is still grappling with a proposal to resume bear hunting in the Garden State this December, although he said last month that an annual hunt may be necessary to deal with growing bear populations.
New York has long had a regulated, annual bear hunting season in many of its forested counties, as has Pennsylvania. But New Jersey ended annual bear hunts in 1970 when populations looked scarce.
By the late 1990s, bear populations rebounded throughout most of the mid-Atlantic United States, and confrontations increased between bruins and homeowners in the northwestern corner of the state. That prompted New Jersey wildlife officials to hold their first bruin hunt in more than three decades, during six days in December 2003.
Hunters killed 328 bruins, but not without protests by animal rights groups who contend hunting will not reduce bear nuisance problems.
The issue this year is a comprehensive management policy order by the state Supreme Court last December, when Campbell opposed a plan by the state Fish and Game Council to resume another bear hunt. The court ruled that the council and Campbell must develop a...
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
ping
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
We post signs on our land (a couple hundred acres in the Southern tier of NYS): "No Bear Hunting" so that bears have a place to go without getting hunted to death. You would be surprised how many hunters want to get one (mainly for the their trophy value and fur)
Of course, in a more populated area, I have no problem with legal hunting of these furry creatures.
Guy yesterday slammed into a bear on Route 84 while riding a motorcycle.
Haven't heard if he died, but the bear did, so it must have been one hellacious impact.
The enviros and animal right wackos don't have to deal with these 'harmless majestic creatures' showing up in their yards and eating their toddlers.
So until one of them gets mauled by a 'harmless majestic creature' even while being nowhere near bear country, you can bet that the bear population will continue to grow.
Just like Greenwood Lake area bear population, being harmlessly majestic while eating pets and chasing children into houses...
Bears are out an about in NJ in DECEMBER??? something aint right here.....
Hunt? Just show up at my house on any Tuesday morning.
I’d swear that Yogi gets a copy of the local garbage collector’s pick up schedule!
Well, at least NY approves of border control....for bears.
logic isnt their strong point is it?
Thanks for the ping...I feel a bit sorry for the critters, but I love my wife and kids more than them. About 6 weeks ago we had a 150 pounder in a parking lot in Parsippany.
How about Beaver. I want to hunt beaver.
I didn't read the rest of the article. I can tell you that I saw 3 bears today, a mother and two yearlings, in Bergen county, a few miles from NY State, and less than 35 miles from the GW Bridge.
While moving away from the aggressive mother, I meet a couple walking their dog in the opposite direction toward the bears, mentioning they should be very careful about proceeding, and it would probably be best if they turned around because their dog looks tasty.
What do they do, pull out their cell phone cams and start jogging toward the bears.
The bears in general, especially the 1 and 2 year old males, are becoming too comfortable around humans, and are becoming increasingly aggressive. It's a recipe for a tragedy. And blood on Campbell's hands.
Puns aside, you still can in the meadowlands, there's still a few old timer swamp rats who make a seasonal living at it.
The only bigger nuisance than the bears are stupid liberals.
I see a Darwin award for one of these incidents.
read later
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.