[Paleo Conservative]

I think I read somewhere that there is an over population of bears in New Jersey. Is that true?

[Terriergal]

Overpopulation of just about everything, not just bears.

[ladylib]

In some northern parts of NJ, people see them in their yards. One morning, a lady was baking brownies for her child's preschool class. The bear crashed through the front door and destroyed her kitchen. There was another incident where a woman was frying pork chops and a bear tried to get into her house. You can't let little kids outside anymore in certain areas.

A couple of years ago, a Bergen County couple (ten minutes from the GW Bridge) found one swimming in their swimming pool.

I now see deer in my back yard. Can't wait to see a bear/sarcasm.

[JerseyHighlander]

I have had bears (over 10 different animals) walk through my yard, 35 miles west of Central Park, NYC, during te last 6 years. A child down the street was almost killed last year by a young male bear. Local elementary school had a young male bear raiding the dumpsters. The head of the NJ Audobon Society left North Jersey (my town in particular) because he knows that the first child killed by a bear will be blood on his hands. Yet he still vocally advocates the bear hunting ban. Those who have have the Ban the Bear Hunt bumper stickers have never been stalked by a bear while walking through the local park, and have never had to tell families with young kids in tow on the trail that they need to turn around because there is a young male bear on the trail. Only to have the adults get excited and run towards the direction of the bear.

Hopefully the Chinese poachers from the West Coast will fan out on the East Coast and take care of the problem if McGreevey or the courts won't.

[agrace]

In northern NJ, especially Sussex County, they are rampant. A co-worker of my husband's deals with them in his yard all the time, several a week. Last week one dragged a dead deer into the backyard and proceeded to chow down. His neighborhood has a bear phone chain of sorts - if someone spots a bear, they call one another to inform of location and direction.

Cancelling is a big mistake.