Black Bear Hunting Legalized with Goal to Trim Down Population by 20% in New Jersey

To reduce the black bear population by 20%, hunting them will be legalized in New Jersey by December.

This week, Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order allowing the trapping and hunting of black bears on designated dates in December.

The New Jersey Fish and Game Council decided to support the controversial practice's return, citing the need to manage the bear population and lessen the likelihood of perilous human-bear encounters.

On any state, county, municipal, federal, or private, land that is accessible to hunting and where a hunter has permission, the first hunt is scheduled for December 5 through 10.

The season will continue from December 14 to 17 if the objective to reduce the population by 20% is not met.

Murphy said in a statement that the reality on the ground has demonstrated that nonlethal measures by themselves are insufficient to safeguard residents of New Jersey from a burgeoning black bear population.

The decisions made today will make it easier to resume a controlled black bear hunt this year, which will help to prevent dangerous encounters between people and bears and safeguard public safety.

Black Bear Hunting Season is Back

The state claimed that the reinstatement of hunting is a result of growing public safety worries about an expanding bear population.

When compared to the same period in 2021, reports of bear damage and bear nuisance increased by 237%, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

However, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) emphasized that these statistics included reports of bear sightings in general, whether they involve seeing an injured bear or a bear rummaging through a trash can.

According to state records, there were more bear attacks on people between January and October of this year than there were during the same time last year.

There were also five more bear attacks on domestic dogs.

Elissa Frank, state director for the HSUS New Jersey, said that the plan to exterminate 20% of New Jersey's prized black bears is only a state-approved massacre carried out to appease the less than 1% of people who enjoy trophy hunting bears.

Black Bear Management

The new Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy for the State was implemented through an emergency ruling and is only effective for 60 days.

On December 19, the governor's office and the council will release a proposal to implement long-lasting changes.

Following that, there will be a 30-day window for written comments, and a public hearing will be set up for January for comments in person.

Raymond Lesniak, a former state senator, has expressed his opposition to the policy change and threatened to sue to put an end to the hunt.

He claimed that this is reminiscent of more recent times when bear hunting didn't serve to protect the public but instead provided an opportunity for hunters to display a bear trophy in their dens, Treehugger reported.

According to Friends of Animals, a nonprofit organization that promotes animal rights worldwide, hunting is not a scientifically proven way to reduce bear activity and encounters.

Experts in animal rights float the point that people need to learn safe ways to coexist with wildlife.

Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey, stated that a real management strategy that addresses educating the public on bear safety and bear-proofing properties is essential to reducing bear nuisance cases.

He further added that the presence of bears in the wilderness does not warrant hunting them.