Posted on 09/14/2004 8:37:14 AM PDT by NJ Freeper
State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) commissioner Bradley Campbell made it clear earlier this year that he was against a black bear hunt in New Jersey in 2004.
The problem he faced was that rules and regulations regarding hunting and fishing are legally within the realm of the independent state Fish and Game Council. And, despite Campbell's opposition, the Fish and Game Council included a second bear hunt in its new game code. The code says would-be bear hunters need to submit their applications for a permit by Sept. 30.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Ping.
Boy! Them there dragging feet musta been lethal. I wonder what critter they belonged to!
I'm a little behind on this story, not living in NJ. Will the bear population there support a hunting season? Is there an overpopulation problem with bears?
I've encountered black bears a number of times in CA, while deer hunting. As I remember, bear season pretty much coincided with deer season back when I was hunting there.
I never did take a bear, since I had no interest in eating one, so I just let them be and continued my deer hunt.
I don't know the current bear-hunting situation in CA.
More info on CA bear hunting. The season still runs concurrent with deer season. You must apply for a bear tag, and the numbers are limited, so it's first come, first serve. Once 1700 bears have been taken, no more are allowed to be taken, and bear tag holders are notified by mail.
I've eaten bear meat. Didn't like it that much.
So9
Yep. I live in PA but only about half an hour from the NJ border. My gated community has approximately one black bear per square mile and hunters killed two bears in this county last year that were over 800 lbs.
My neighborhood is a bit unusual with the ridiculously high number of bears, but you can see that this area of PA and NJ does have an abundance of the things ;-)
There are lots of Black Bear in New Jersey. The population is estimated to be in the thousands. They are starting to become a problem in some areas, a mere curiosity in others.
The bulk of the bear population is located in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Morris and western Passaic Counties. However bear sightings are becoming increasingly common in Somerset and Union Counties and they occassionally make appearances in some of the more unrbanized counties as well.
Bear are slowly becoming like deer in New Jersey. Deer are incredibly common here and they can be seen any day, any time, even calmly munching on people lawns in the suburbs. Some areas have hundreds of deer per square mile. A friend of mine who hunts in western Pa. visited recently and said he had never seen so many deer in so short a time as he did in New Jersey.
P.S. - there are lots of hunters here but the deer are still winning.
I can add some first-hand info here: I live in "Bear Country" as the local bunny-huggers like to call it. I've been in this location for 17 years and raised only a short distance from my current home in Sussex County. My property backs up against the Newark Watershed property that is comprised of 440,000 pristine acres of dense forest and reservoirs. It is, to put it plainly, the last unpaved portion of NJ, which is why I chose to raise my family here.
About Black Bears: 17 years ago if you saw a bear, he was probably running from you as fast as his legs would carry him. They had a healthy fear of man and knew humans meant trouble. Not so any longer. I have several bears in my yard on a daily basis. Any given day, I scoop at least 2 piles of bear scat off my patio and can no longer cage my dogs in my back yard (several area family pets have been mauled or just outright eaten by the bears).
I cannot and will not leave my family unattended outdoors at any time for any reason due to the level of aggression and lack of fear shown by the bear population. I've had two aggressive males trapped and one of those destroyed on my property by NJ Fish and Game due to repeat offenses.
We have records showing increasing numbers of home invasions by black bears that would justify use of deadly force, if they were not bears. But because they are bears and not humans, they have more rights in my home than I DO! What's wrong with this picture? I must, as required by NJ law, retreat with my family and my pets from my home if a bear should enter.
I carry protection on my person whenever I am inside or outside my home and many of my neighbors do the same. We all understand the level of danger associated with the overpopulation and take measures to insure safety of our families.
Bradley Campbell is quite plainly playing politics with my safety and the safety of all in my community. I expected no less when I traveled to hear him speak about the proposed hunt last year. He is a political hack for our outwardly gay and outwardly CORRUPT governor. I will gladly serve my time in jail to protect my family in the face of a black bear attack. I'll take my chances with the corrupt NJ courts.
Bradley Campbell needs to have his family dog of 12 years mauled and disemboweled by a black bear so he can find the carcass when he returns home from his office. Only then will he have a clue. There isn't anyone that can shake my opinion that WE NEED A NJ BEAR HUNT. The statistics as well as my experiences prove we do. -Chris
Coleus, I thought you might be interested in this.
Call Dan Rather and CBS, I am sure they can put you in touch with eye witnesses and provide evidence of Bear attacks that have resulted in the eating of children at schools while on recess.
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