On Nov. 15 the NJ Fish and Game Council voted to approve the return of New Jersey’s black bear hunt, over the objections of many. No bear hunting had been allowed on state lands since 2020. This hunt was scheduled to take place in early December, with a limit to the total number of bears taken. Humane limitations include a ban on hunting cubs less than 75 lbs. or adults in the presence of cubs.
Despite Gov. Phil Murphy’s previous opposition to the hunt, his office supported the move. The rationale is the growing bear population. The number of NJ bears has doubled from 1,500 to 3,000 since 2018 and is expected to grow to 4,000 by 2024. Bears have moved out of their natural areas to seek food, with a resulting rise in dangerous interactions with humans. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, in the first 10 months of 2022, incidents grew 237%, and these included aggressive encounters with humans (62), one human attack, home entries (12 actual, 15 attempted), animal attacks (12 dogs, 52 livestock), and 84 incidents of property damage over $1000.
The Sierra Club urged state officials to try nonlethal strategies first. “In order to reduce nuisance cases with bears, we need a real management plan that will deal with educating the public on how to live with bears and bear-proofing their property,” said NJ Chapter Director Anjuli Ramos-Busot.