Judges weigh conflicting laws in Jersey bear hunt dispute

A state appeals court reserved decision yesterday on a lawsuit filed by two sporting groups and three New Jersey hunters who want to force a bear hunt early next month.

The six-day hunt, scheduled for Dec. 6-11, was approved in July by the autonomous state Fish and Game Council. However, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell took the unprecedented step last month of refusing to issue permits. That action led to the lawsuit.

No doubt whatsoever where THIS will go. Campbell, a Democratic appointee, is battling an agency which owes its existance to hunters before liberal Democratic courts in the most liberal state in the Union.

The residents of Jersey will have to wait until enough of them are eaten by bears before the state takes any action with these dangerous nuisances.

Those Freepers not familiar with this case might find it interesting.

Bradley Campbell is the leftie Commissioner of NJ's Dept. of Environmental Protection ("DEP"). Campbell held his breath and stamped his feet when the Fish & Wildlife Council, whose job it is to approve or disapprove of hunts, duly approved another bear hunt for this December. It seems that, after last year's bear hunt, the animal "rights" nuts put pressure on Governor ("I'm a Gay American") McGreevey and Campbell.

Campbell went into a snit over the Council's decision, and refused to issue permits for the hunt.

In response, the Council extended the deadline for submitting permits and allowed hunters to submit permit forms that were essentially recreations of last year's permit forms. Since DEP and Campbell wouldn't assist with the permits, the new "forms" were posted in downloadable form on hunters' websites, such as Ted Nugent's and the NJ State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. Bottom line: from such grassroots efforts, thousands of licensed hunters, who duly sat through last year's bear hunt seminar, submitted permit forms and are ready to roll in December.

Still, the specter of some DEP official claiming that you're hunting bear "illegally" exists. A couple of hunters and some NJ sportsmen's groups have sued Campbell and DEP, asking the Court to compel them to recognize the hunt and do their duty.

It's a real battle here in the Garden State, and one that hunters nationally should be following with some interest.

"It's a real battle here in the Garden State, and one that hunters nationally should be following with some interest."

Well spoken.

All to often evil ideas have their nesting place in the broodery of leftist jurisprudence located in the Jersey Courts and State Government - like the "assault" rifle ban,
"smart" gun technology, etc.

Based on my past life in New Jersey and what my friends still living there tell me, I'm not optimistic about this.

New Jersey is a socialist fascist state with the most powerful Governor in the Union; pusillanimous, squabbling and ineffective state legislators; an emasculated Republican leadership; and a court system right of out of Boshevik Russia; a leftist dominated press; and a public with a large proportion of liberal New York City emigres and pliant, political ignoramuses.

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.