http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/sports/2003/11/06newjerseyhuntta.html
New Jersey hunt targets black bears
State wants to reduce the rising bear population
From staff and wire reports
11/06/2003
New Jersey's burgeoning black bear population has resulted in a rare chance for hunters.
For the first time since 1970, the state will conduct a hunting season for black bear. The season will be held Dec. 8-13 in the northwestern portion of the state, an area north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287.
For the first time in 33 years, New Jersey will conduct a hunting season for black bear. The season will last from Dec. 8-13 and comes as a result of the booming numbers of black bear in the past several years.
New Jersey made available a total of 10,000 special black bear hunting permits to licensed firearms hunters.
The program drew 6,777 applicants, according to Jack Kaskey, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Of that total, 4.3 percent are from outside New Jersey. No applicants were from Delaware.
State officials estimate the state's black bear population at 1,300 to 3,200, a significant boost from the estimate of 1,146 in 2001. As the bear population grows, state officials have received an increasing number of complaints about bears ransacking trash bins, trying to get into houses and killing livestock.
State officials hope the six-day hunt will reduce the bear population by 300 to 500. Hunters are limited to killing one bear of either sex and any age.
"There comes a time to start managing the population like we do with other species," Kaskey said.
The hunt has divided residents and even families in New Jersey's bear country. Supporters believe that without the hunt, area residents will be in danger. Critics question the accuracy of the state's bear population count and suggest people should change their behavior to avoid confrontations with bears.
Officials hope to reduce the population of black bear by 300 to 500. The hunt has divided residents and even families in New Jersey's bear country.
"We're invading their space. The poor guys have nowhere to go," said Ruth Russo of West Milford, N.J., who opposes the hunt. Her husband favors it.
Three years ago, a planned hunt was dropped at the last minute when then-Gov. Christine Todd Whitman intervened. She promoted awareness programs and bear conditioning, such as shooting the animals with rubber buckshot so they would associate trash-raiding with pain.
Lynda Smith, who leads the Bear Education and Resource Group (BEAR), a 1,500-member New Jersey organization, said the problem of nuisance bears stems from people moving into the bears' territory and not knowing how to co-exist.
"Bears are very opportunistic, but by nature they don't want to have anything to do with people. The only reason they overcome their fear enough is because there are food attractants," she said.
Smith objected to the bear hunting season, saying, "It's a trophy hunt, justified by using nuisance complaints as an excuse."
New Jersey's hunt has drawn attention from bear biologists throughout the United States.
"There are a number of issues important to bear biologists: the number of bears, the number of complaints and how the diverse opinions of how to manage bears are coming into play," said Rick Eastridge, a biologist for the state of Arkansas.
Throughout the United States, the black bear population has recovered after hunting and development made them scarce during much of the 20th century.
New Jersey's bear population had fallen to fewer than 100 by 1970, the last time a hunting season was held. The first hunt was held in 1958, and it was an annual event from 1962 to 1970. The total number of bears taken in that time period was 46, indicating a relatively small population. That prompted state officials to end the bear season in 1971.
The animals are protected in a few states, including Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky. But many other states allow bear hunting, including Pennsylvania and New York, and use it to manage their bear populations.
In order to participate, applicants for the New Jersey hunt must complete a three-hour seminar on black bears. The idea, according to state officials, is to familiarize hunters with the traits of bears.
"Since we haven't had a hunt in 33 years, we're teaching the biology of bears, where their vital organs are, the differences from deer," said Kaskey of the Department of Environmental Protection.
"It's not just about the hunt, but a strong education component. We're reminding them how to live in bear country."
