Bear Hunt Begins for Third Year in NJ

DEP said bear sighting reports are down 34 percent from last year.

New Jersey's third annual bear hunt began Monday, with the first black bear brought in as part of the hunt killed in Sussex County. The bear, a 165-pound male, was three years old and was not lured by hunters, according to The Record. The second killed bear brought in was a year-and-a-half old and was killed near Sparta.     The bear hunt, which is designed to help control the state's black bear population, will continue until Saturday and is held in conjunction with the firearm deer-hunting season. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), 469 black bears were harvested last year while 50,109 deer were harvested. Bears are allowed to be hunted by licensed hunters with black bear permits, one bear per …

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Nature Scene

Nature Scene: New Jersey's Black Bear Hunt

What are your thoughts on the New Jersey Black bear hunt?

One of the lead stories on the Front Page of NJ Nature Notes this week has to do with the completion of the 2011 edition of the Black Bear hunt in New Jersey, where 469 bears were taken. (I tried to keep that term neutral for the sake of this article.) As with white-tailed deer, this is a very difficult issue and there may be no good answer. There are strong arguments on both sides. The questions may appear simple, but the issue is very complex. Here are some typical statements: There are too many bears in the state. They were here first and WE moved into THEIR territory. We’re pushing them out so let them live. They pose a safety problem to us, our property and pets. We create the problems. Keep pets out of harms way, and food and waste …

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Richard Wolfert

4:23 pm on Saturday, December 31, 2011

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: There have been many votes here and a few written responses. One person even emailed me directly as they weren't able to log on here. Since emotions run high regarding this issue (as with so many others that we'll get into in the coming year), the only recommendation I can make is to become active to support your view. You don't have to be an 'activist', just be active at times…   more ›

POLL: Should Bears Be Hunted?

State bear hunt begins Monday.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 2011 Bear Hunt begins Monday with hunters in possession of a permit allowed to kill one black bear each. Bears are only allowed to be hunted in specific zones, which include parts of Morris, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, Bergen and Hunterdon counties, extending to the Pennsylvania and New York borders. The six-day hunt, which was also held last year, is designed to help the DEP regulate bear population. According to the DEP, there are about 3,400 black bears living in a 1,000-square mile area north of Route 78 and west of Route 287. The DEP said the northwest corner of the state has one of the highest black bear population densities in the country. "We are fully committed to this …

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Hunting Bears on the Cheap

Last week's efforts to track and remove a bear from East Brunswick cost the township nothing.

While last week’s bear "hunt" across East Brunswick was one of the more dramatic affairs of the year, it also proved to be one of the cheapest. Despite an effort by several officers over several days that culminated in catching the bear last Wednesday, the township reported no financial impact at Monday’s Township Council meeting. “Now that the bear has been captured, I can tell you the financial impact is nil for that,” Township Administrator James White said. "There was no overtime expended on that.” White added that all emergency responders who responded as events unfolded throughout the wee were working at the time, so no overtime was paid. Also, because the Division of Fish and Wildlife handled the capture, the township is off the …

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