New Jersey Nixes Planned Bear Hunt

[Teegate]

New Jersey Nixes Planned Bear Hunt

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/st...1/1945693047.htm&sc=1110&flok=NW_5-L1

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The state's environmental commissioner has rejected nearly 3,000 applications for bear hunting permits, saying a bear hunt set by New Jersey's Fish and Game Council earlier this year will not take place.

The game council voted in July to include a six-day bear hunt in the state's December hunting schedule, despite objections from Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell. The council then began making permit applications available to hunters.

Campbell, who advocates other ways to control the bears' numbers, responded by saying the DEP will not honor the approximately 2,900 applications that have been submitted.

The governor-appointed Fish and Game Council sets the state's hunting schedule, but the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife issues permits.


The move has angered hunting enthusiasts, some of whom threatened to sue.


New Jersey held its first bear hunt in 33 years last December, which Campbell supported at the time to thin the bears' ranks.


He now supports using contraception - and programs teaching residents how to coexist with bears - to control the population, which numbers about 1,500.

 

[Lorun]

Promoting ways to live safe with bears is a good thing. Contraceptives? That is stupid. If we can kill molly the cow for a hamdburger what is the bid deal about a bear hunt if bears truly are getting overpopulated?

I do have my doubts that they need to be thined our at this point and would agree that unless the population is clearly out of control a hunt is not needed.

 

[jokerman]

Bears are not the problem, it is the human population that needs to be thinned out. The presence of the bear in NJ is supposed to be something to celebrate, not in the way that "Yeah, now we can hunt them down and kill them", but that they may grace our state in respectful numbers since we exterminated them a long time ago. In my opinion, when people are complaining about bears it is because people who know nothing about the wilderness have moved into a previously undeveloped wooded area and start up their crying as soon as they see one. Most people who have lived amongst bears for a long time, know that living with the animals is not difficult and are able to follow some simply guidelines to minimize the bears from interfering. The most difficult management question is the balance (or unbalance) between the bear and humans in that the loss of food (largely brought on by loss of habitat, and of course through overdevelopment) makes the bears' more likely to look for food in places they otherwise may not...aka around people in areas they once called home and relied on for food. So, when habitat is lost, bears become more unpredictable and obvious. This situation may make it more humane to shoot bears who may otherwise starve to death. The truth of the situation, however, lies in the fact that the stae needs to consider curbing the reckless development which encroaches on bear territory and makes the need to kill bears existing in exceedance of the natural balance of population dynamics. Without the excess removal of woods, the bear live and die in balance with the food supplies in a much more consistent and gradual manner.

 

[Lorun]

Agreed. I have seen a few bear, some with cubs, up in the Water Gap area. They are amazing. I do not like to think about them being shot for sport, but I like the hunting alternative over contraceptives. I hope the state just leaves them alone altogether for now.


I drove by a section of the river that the state grows corn and the bears get into it and smash huge sections down where they eat. I wonder how much corn a 300-pound bear eats.

 

[RednekF350]

I am dyed-in-the-wool hunter but I have no interest in hunting bear.
Never did.
Where I hunt in NE Pa., bear are very common and I appreciate every opportunity I get to see them going about their business.
When there is a sustainable population to hunt, I don't have a problem with a hunt. I think we are just now getting to that point in North Jersey and may get to that point in South Jersey in 5-10 years.
For anyone else on this site that is a hunter, I recommend that you read Bradley Campbell's negative editorial inside the the current Fish and Game regulations.These are available at any sporting goods store and online at the Fish and Game website.Typically the editorial from the Commissioner each year is warm and fuzzy. This year you will be shocked.
He is one out of control McGrevey appointee and he is on a mission to dismantle the Fish and Game Council because he feels there should be a few more tree hugging vegetarians on the council to help determine the hunting regulations.
But hey, wasn't this about bears?
Speaking of contraceptives, it's a shame Brad Campbell's parents didn't use more of them.

 

[jokerman]

I appreciate your acknowledgement for needed conservancy. It's funny that like 2 bears are probably in the Pines at this time (for the first time in a long time) and people are already planning to shoot them already. As far as the NJ Fish and Wildlife...I welcome whatever it takes to actually get them back to doing what they are supposed to do. As far as fishing goes...they stock trout, demand the purchase of fishing licenses, and hand out fines...and that's it. And it's all to pay salaries. They do absolutely nothing for any of the places I fish and only deal with large reservoirs. I would really love to see some real passion for true conservation come back to New Jersey. I'm not sure about the hunting rules, but from what I've seen with the baiting it seems like a real free-for-all out there. Again, it's not overcrowding of bear or deer, it's too many people!

 

[Lorun]

In his report he claims that hunting does not have an impact on the bear population. I would love to see the data for that. My math figures 3,000 bears, one bear shot, 2,999 bears. I would rather not see a bear hunt, despite the fact that I am a hunter. He seems to have no real argument against a bear hunt except that some people who scream loud do not want one.

The overcrowding in the woods is a depressing thing for me. Part of the problem I believe is that it seems like the majority of the open land is posted.
Even private land preserved with community funding is posted 99-100% of the time and often fenced. Preserved land is not doing me a whole lot of good if I can't use it.