newjerseynewsroom.com

Hunt set for Dec. 5-10 in Northwest Jersey

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

A three-judge state appeals court panel will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning in Trenton in an attempt by animal rights organizations to stop the state Department of Environmental Protection from going ahead with a six-day black bear hunt set to begin Dec. 5.

The case has been brought by the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, the Bear Education and Resource Group and bear advocates Theresa Fritzges and Angela Metler.

Lawyers for both sides expect a decision prior to the start of the hunt.

If the hunt goes forward, it will mark the first time in more than 40 years that New Jersey has held black bear hunts two consecutive years.

As of Tuesay, 6,127 people have applied for hunting permits, down from 7,500 last year when 592 bears were killed. In addition to the hunt, an average of 25 to 30 bears are euthanized by the state annually and an average 86 bears are killed by cars.

The New Jersey Sierra Club also opposes the hunt. Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel argues the hunt is for recreation and not about reducing the number of bears for the public good.

"The hunt is about dropping the overall population, not going after nuisance bears," Tittel said. "This is just a recreational program."

Wildlife officials argue the hunt is necessary to reduce a black bear population, which they figure now tops 3,400. They estimate nearly 1,000 bears were born over winter and have a survival rate of about 80 percent.

The hunt is set for north of Route 78 and west of Route 287 in Hunterdon County and nearly all of Warren County.

“The Sierra Club has serious concerns with allowing another bear hunt to move forward when 592 bears were harvested in the last hunt,” Tittel said. “The DEP used eliminating aggressive and nuisance bears as a justification for the hunt but now will not disclose the number taken, possibly because the hunt had very little affect on the nuisance bear population.

“Human-bear interactions and bear-related complaints can often be attributed to a singular nuisance bear within a region, living close to homes,” Tittel said. “The bears that ultimately paid the price of the hunt were those living in the forests that do not venture into neighborhoods and communities. Eliminating these docile bears is not part of an effective bear management plan

“The Sierra Club opposes the bear hunt and will continue to fight for a strong bear management plan that actually works,” Tittel added. “The black bear is a symbol that New Jersey still has wild places and should be humanely regulated, not hunted for trophies. The public agrees. The public comments were overwhelmingly against last year’s bear hunt.”