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6,400 hunters to take to the woods on Monday

A state appeals court Thursday ruled a state-approved week-long black bear hunt can be held in Northwest Jersey beginning Monday.

Animal rights advocates brought the appeal, arguing the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy was not valid.

"This ruling affirms the science- and fact- based policy that we have adopted as part of a comprehensive approach to managing black bears in New Jersey,'' DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. "The plan is a legitimate response to deal with a large black bear population and a resultant increase in public complaints about bear and human encounters. This is a public safety issue that requires responsible action by the state.''

The three-judge panel rejected arguments made by the New Jersey Animal Protection League and the Bear Education and Resource Group contending the DEP and state Fish and Game Council acted arbitrarily or in bad faith in creating the bear management policy, which includes an annual bear hunt in an effort to deal with the state's black bear population.

The bear hunt will run through Dec. 10 and held concurrently with the state's six-day firearm deer hunting season. Bear hunting zones include large sections of Morris, Sussex, Warren, and northern Passaic counties, plus smaller areas of Hunterdon, Somerset and Bergen counties. There is a limit of one bear per licensed and registered hunter.

DEP population estimates show there are some 3,400 black bears in a 1,000 square-mile hunting area north of Route 78 and west of Route 287, with the population highest in the northwest corner of the state, which has one of the highest black bear densities in the nation. There also are a smaller but uncounted number of bears in the rest of New Jersey's 21 counties, with reports of bear sightings occurring in the past few years in more eastern and central portions of the state.

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Martin said the Division of Fish and Wildlife is seeking to stabilize and reduce the black bear population, to eventually be maintained at a density that minimizes human/bear conflicts, provides for a sustainable population within suitable bear habitat, and minimizes movement of bears to unsuitable habitat in suburban and urban areas.

"We have a duty to responsibly manage wildlife populations in our state,'' Martin said. “There are a large number of black bears in New Jersey, especially in the north, which have resulted in too many bear and human encounters, more property damage, and subsequent public complaints.

"Hunting is just one facet of our comprehensive black bear policy, and one used successfully by other states,'' Martin added. "It is important to understand that we are diligently working on many other measures designed to maintain a healthy black bear population while reducing public safety concerns.''

The hunt conducted last December netted 592 black bears. DEP officials believe the hunt played a role in a 4 percent decrease in bear complaints, down from 13 percent in 2010.

More than 6,400 bear permits have been issued so far for next week’s hunt. DEP biologists predict a kill total similar to last year, when more than 7,000 permits were issued.

For additional information on the 2011 black bear hunt, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearseason_info.htm.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM