The Bear Education and Resource Group has paid for a half page ad in the Daily Record, Morris County, N.J. stating among other things that:

“The Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) is the blame, breaking the law by refusing to enforce the feeding ban.”

“The DFW refuses to enforce proper garbage storage laws and instead of ticketing property owners, they “allow” bears to be lured into human environments by the smell of garbage and there they kill them-using these incidents to justify bear hunting.

“DFW “solely” exists to manage sport hunting.

“Non-lethal bear management (ex: garbage control) is the only proven way to manage black bears.

At the bottom of this ad, of course, there is a form for making a donation of; $25.00 to $500.00.

 This is an outright SLANDER of DFW proven, professionals.

 The only reason The Bear Group and other anti-hunting/animal right groups have existed for these past years in N.J. are some past Governors and politicians that were afraid to take a chance with “voters” by supporting and endorsing the DFW and their professional, experienced members that have the responsibility of managing “wildlife” in New Jersey.

Now after an all out attack on Chris Christi to prevent him from defeating Governor Corzine, their “Stop the hunt Godfather”, they realize that “Governor Christi” is not going to play “politics” with “black bear overpopulation”, the Governor made it clear “prior” to being elected; BLACK BEAR HUNT? YES.

SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH?????

The Bear Group is nothing more than an inexperienced clan of misleading individuals that attempt to use emotions to play on the “emotions” of innocent animal-lovers, duping them out of money to sustain a meaningless cause.

For all of the past years, 2000 through 2010, The Bear Group has published nothing but ‘GARBAGE”, because garbage has absolutely nothing to do with OVERPOPULATION or managing “the increase in the N.J. black bear population”. Garbage containment is important for more than black bear issues, it can become a health issue when left for rats, birds, stray dogs, etc.; but to solve black bear overpopulation now and in the future; NOT 

As for the information the Bear Group  lays claim to, garbage containment , how to live with the black bear, adverse conditioning, this has been made available for years by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife in handouts and on their website.

The half-page article the bear group placed in the Daily Record, Morris County on 3/14/10, is not only an outright lie, it is a “slanderous” attack on  the qualified, professional New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife and Fish & Game Council and on the DFW agencies throughout the U.S. in every state and the governing bodies they fall under.

These dedicated departments and individuals do not deserve to be portrayed as they were in this unfair article and one would certainly hope that we are much smarter than to buy into the bear group “bull.”

I have written numerous articles successfully rebuking the mind-twisting lies that the bear group has published over the years, but now they have gone over the line with this ill-considered add.

You can easily evaluate the NJDF&W and the scientific work of their professionals, just logon to:

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearpolicy10.htm

If you “really” want to make a comparison between the inexperienced rambling of the Bear Group and the NJDF&W that they attempted to slander, then take the time to review the “Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy” recently submitted to the DEP. Forty-five (45) pages of real scientific information backed up with accurate facts and figures. Oh, for sure the bear group will attempt to have you dismiss this report by using their same old “garbage” spin.

This report however, will easily show that the DFW is the only reliable source that should be responsible for managing wildlife. These professionals cannot allow emotions to interfere with science. They have proof to back up there management policies and they have the ONLY proven track record of “savinbears”; they actually DID, how? we had a black bear population in the 1970’s that was in danger of extinction, it was the DFW professionals that saved them, brought them back.

Do we want to maintain a healthy black bear population?  

Do we want to prevent the black bear from threatening human life?

Do we want to stop the killing of domestic pets and livestock?

The only way this can be accomplished is to allow our professional DFW to manage wildlife again, manage the black bear population not manage attacks on their creditability. There responsibilities include the regulation and protection of fish and game for both recreational (hunting and fishing for sport and food) and commercial purposes. Recreational activities include; micro- management of wildlife populations, designating endangered species for protection, scientific research in areas like black bear issues, disease,  non-hunting recreational opportunities like sight seeing, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, management of state and  park lands including lakes, ponds and streams.

Just to set the record straight regarding salaries; The Fish and Game Council, that have the role of managing the states fish and wildlife resources, function as “UNPAID VOLUNTEERS” in coordination with the Commissioner and Director of DEP , NJDF&W.

A black bear hunt is now five (5) years overdue you cannot manage wildlife without experience but you can use “COMMON-SENSE” to understand that “any wildlife population cannot be left “uncontrolled” and to simply grow to whatever numbers they reach.

We do not have adequate forestland to support the current black bear population, we cannot make new forestland, and garbage control, important yes but garbage control is not population control and will not reduce black bear overpopulation, we need to implement hunting as an integral part of black bear population control and maintenance.

We should not overlook the right of sportsmen to pursue the legal right to hunt. We find hunters, in New Jersey coming under constant criticism; here again groups like the bear group and others have portrayed hunters as blood thirsty, trophy hunting slobs.

Hunting is one of the oldest activities of our planet, all through the different eras hunting has had a meaningful purpose. In the beginning it was all about food, later the raising of livestock placed hunting into an optional pastime where hunters could take to the woods to rekindle the heritage of hunting while still opting for the harvesting of their own food.

Today, hunting serves as a sport, family recreation, economic opportunities for many states, the only opportunity one has to harvest healthy, natural, non-hormone free food and! and! and! at the same time carry out the culling of wildlife to meet designated goals established by  the professional wildlife biologists  and proven members of the DF&W as deemed necessary for maintaining healthy game populations.

Remember, there is no successful sterilization method, birth control or any other option to hunting now or in our near future except; companies that come into a state or town and charge anywhere from $300.00 to $1000.00, per animal to reduce the population; is this not hunting? hunting where instead of picking up revenue from licensed hunters we pay for hunters to do the same work.

Therefore, until science produces a “pill” that can be taken to satisfy the daily nourishment requirements of meat, as chosen for food by 97% of our people, animals’ both wild and domestic, are here to meet our needs. How? well! the supermarket where someone does the work for us and it can be picked up already prepared to cook and eat or the hunt for those that wish to do it all on their own. In the USA we have the freedom to make the choice between the two.

Lastly; A message for Governor Christi and DEP Commissioner Bob Martin; on behalf of millions of non-hunting citizens that support hunting and the hunters that must carry out the task, for those of us that supported you because of your honesty and desire to take New Jersey to a new level in all areas, many far more important than a black bear hunt, we ask that you continue your support of our state DFW and that support should include allowing DFW to move ahead with black bear hunts and to put in place a fee for bear hunting, this is what every state in the U.S does.

The support should include preventing any emotional, inexperienced group to tie up our courts and waste taxpayers money with frivolous lawsuits aimed at delaying the process. These groups poke and hope at ways of keeping this an emotional issue and have done so under past Governors.

There should be some  statement made from your offices that clearly dismisses the ad that was published by the bear group on 3/14/10, because this is not only a slanderous attack on the DFW, but on your administration as well. It is a misleading lie that is aimed at innocent, emotional people. The DFW must be defended as you would do for any worker subjected to unfounded accusations.

A black bear hunt in inevitable, the black bears have proven on their own that they are too many , they show no fear of humans and will continue to be a threat to humans as they break into houses, garages and vehicles to damage and destroy property,  attack injure and kill domestic pets and livestock and continue to jeopardize human safety,  until one day they finally seriously injure or fatally attack a human. Scare tactic; no, just the writing on the wall..

Mike D 

 

Yes, Yes and Yes

Now we have a Governor that did not play “bear” politics when he was running for office. Governor Christi made it brief and simple; “A black bear hunt, yes”.

Then in spite of the efforts of the animal-right/anti-hunting groups to pull out all stops for preventing Chris Christi from winning the election, he became Governor Christi.

Governor Christi’s problems are far greater than the black bear “overpopulation” issue, nevertheless he has not waivered in his support of the qualified experts that are responsible for making these recommendations; New Jersey Division Fish & Wildlife, Fish & Game Council and the expert biologists.

Unfortunately, for years the anti’s have been able to toss this political football about casting shadows of doubt over these professionals. They even forced N.J. to go out of state and solicit research from East Stroudsburg, PA. Well guess what? The University came up with an estimated N.J. black bear population of 3,438 in 2009.

So with this information, by the way, confirming what our own state F&G estimated, the N.J.F &G Council now has moved forward to include the states’ first black bear hunt since 2005 in it’s proposed bear management policy.

Already, the anti’s are rattling up the sabers once again;

Sierra Club Director, Jeff Tittel; “Today’s action by the F&G Council is a step backward for bear management in New Jersey. His group believes garbage is at the root of problems with nuisance bears. Then more alternatives:

Protect bear habitats

Hire bear conservation officers

Use non-lethal conflict resolution, educating humans on how to avoid attracting bears.

Janet Piszar, Director of the Bear Education and Resource Group called the report; “a smokescreen based on junk science”

With studies conducted by experienced state biologists and research from the highly respected East Stroudsburg University, we have Janet Piszar, the Queen of smokescreen and junk reports using all of her non-game-management expertise to fling stones once again.

Well Jeff and Janet we have been there and done that SORRY, not this time; as I have written in more than 100 articles and opeds combined; None of these actions alone have worked nor will work in reducing, containing and maintaining a safe black bear to human ratio.

WHY? Because N.J. politicians of the past have allowed these groups to interfere with scientific wildlife management resulting in the unsafe black bear population we have in New Jersey today.

Of course, everyone understands that garbage should be a part of any black bear management program but, hunting alone, has been and will always be the key to wildlife population management, especially with black bears.

For those that believe hunting is not effective consider that out of (27) states with large black bear populations (26) have successfully used hunting as the primary means of population control for decades. Only New Jersey, with successful hunts in 2003 and 2005 has allowed politics, inexperience and emotions to interfere with black bear management.

Take a quick look at what goes on in our bordering states of New York and Pennsylvania:

New York: 54,475 square miles; estimated black bear population 6000 to 7000

2006- 1592 (harvested by hunters)

2007- 1094

2008- 1295

2009- 1487

Pennsylvania: 46,055 square miles; estimated black bear population 15,000

2006- 3122 (harvested by hunters)

2007- 2360

2008- 3458

2009- 3512

(Lower numbers were the result of adverse weather conditions with these states now extending the black bear season when required to balance the harvest.)

New Jersey: 8722 square miles; estimated black bear population 3438

1970 to 2002 no hunting

2003- 328 (harvested by hunters)

2005- 298

2006 through 2009 no hunting

What can we learn from just our bordering states? That hunting has worked for decades, it results in “POPULATION CONTROL”, IT IS SUCCESSFUL WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.

We need to reach out to Acting Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, as the anti’s will certainly be looking to pressure his office with their same old rhetoric. The Governor will not be reached, they know that.

Already we can sense the problems black bears will cause in 2010, with snow on the ground and freezing weather we have had attacks on domestic pets. A (16) year old border collie killed in Wayne, New Jersey and the bear found living unknown right under someone’s deck.

This demonstrates that “overpopulation” leads to expansion, many of the black bears live in areas of northern N.J. where state lands border developments. These bears are roaming

because New Jersey’s 8722 square miles, of which is mostly developed land, cannot accommodate a black bear population of 3438, a population that will continue to increase out of control unless wildlife managers are allowed to hold annual hunts to contain this population to a safe, coexisting number.

Do not buy this animal-right/anti-hunting non-sense that it can be done with garbage control and education alone; IT CANNOT. As laymen just use plain common-sense; we cannot allow the black bear to multiply year after year to whatever number they can reach. Once they are hunted and the population brought under control they will avoid human contact (hunting is the most effective adverse training) and with reduced numbers have room to roam back into their own natural habitant. Of course, a stray may wander into some town, but no where near the danger zones of today.

Lastly, Governor Christi has major economic problems to deal with in New Jersey, we do not need to clog up our courts and waste taxpayers money on “FRIVOLOUS” lawsuits by the anti’s to delay the inevitable black bear hunt. We also should not play to the anti’s attacks on our NJDF&W that has resulted in stopping them from performing their jobs to the fullest; meaning that the state should charge for black bear hunting permits and pick up the revenue.

No anti’s this is not about trophy hunting or F&W generating revenue it is real wildlife management and taking in fees as does every other of the (26) states; it is about HUMAN RIGHTS & SAFETY; It is about faith in experienced professionals and not the emotional rhetoric of animal-right/anti-hunting groups.

We need to start the black bear hunting season now and continue on a managed basis in the future with controlled annual hunts. We have to allow a few seasons to get the black bear population under control. To make it clear; no one especially Today’s’ NJDF&G OR HUNTERS WOULD EVER ADVOCATE HUNTING BLACK BEARS TO EXTINCTION, THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AS IT HAS NOT IN THE (26) OTHER STATES THAT HOLD BLACK BEAR HUNTING SEASONS.

Contact the DEP AND Governor’s office; support the experts of our own New Jersey Fish and Game Council.

Governor Christi; (609) 292-6000

DEP Bob Martin; (609) 292-2885

Mike D