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
NJ Bear Hunt 
Well spoken. I never thought I would agree with this opinion, but I’m starting to view things from a different view. I definitely want research more on this as it appears very interesting. One thing I don’t get though is how everything is related together.
Hi singing lessons, thank you for the response and support, , keep posted for weekly opeds should help you relate everything.
Mike D
Awesome post, hey I found this article while googling for songs. Thanks for sharing I’ll tell my friends about this too.
Hi Jamie, thank you for the response, keep posted for weekly opeds as we near the final decisions.
Mike D
Did you create your own blog or did a program do it? Could you please respond? 58
Hi Gaston, thank you for the response, this is my own blog and keep posted for weekly opeds.
Mike D
We do not have an overpopulation of bears. This is their home. We have an overpopulation of people!! Stop building so many residential homes and business complexes. The bears are showing their faces because they don’t know where to go. If someone took your home away, wouldn’t you go in search of a new one? If someone took your grocery store away, wouldn’t you go in search of a new one?
Hi Kathleen, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my blog.
I understand your emotions but for me that is all you are giving, emotions, no other thought.
It is now a proven fact that New Jersey is “overpopulated” with black bears.
Now really, this is their home? We have an overpopulation of people?
You ask? If someone took your home away, wouldn’t you go search for a new one? If someone took your grocery store away, wouldn’t you go in search of a new one?
Well in fact, something is taking our homes away, that is the security of our homes, something is taking our “groceries” away; the “overpopulated black bear”. They are invading the privacy of our land and homes threatening our safety and killing domestic livestock, destroying crops, “our food sources” as well as killing our domestic pets.
Would you be willing to have your family and friends tear down their homes, have your places of employment close the doors and layoff people then wreck their buildings all to, “make more room for the bears”?
Kathleen, your not being able to handle the management of our overpopulated black bears by hunting is greatly respected, but it ends there. Wild animals do not have rights that exceed the rights of humans. Everything was “here-first” before humans, so what should we do? encourge the rebirth of the “Wolly-Mammoth” and give the land back to them. If we think that way, better we consider the Indians first, they were the real victims of expansion and development.
Hunting is the “only” proven” method of wildlife management and once it is in place the people and black bear can both enjoy their own natural habitats. The bears will have more room to to “get-lost” in and the strong will survive to pass those good genes onto their young, the weak will fall to the culling process. Then, we will be left with a thriving, healthy, safe black bear population; A population of black bears that will now have respect and fear of humans (hunting being the ultimate adverse conditioning) oh sure, a few may roam into a developed area, but developments in black bear country are surrounded by both state and private “open” hunting lands so hunting, contrary to what the anti’s say, will reduce the black bear populations in problem areas. When the population is reduced there will be less expansion into new areas, as is happening now.
Anyway thanks again Kathleen, hope you can try to put emotions aside and just think of this; it is too late to reverse the developed land and no matter, wild animals can never simply be left to grow to “whatever” number they can reach.
Mike D
Mike D. You are a horrifyingly ignorant thing. Bears can easily co exist-refer to ASPCA and Sierra Club and hundreds more groups. Refer to People in Montana and Dakotas that raise and preserve bear populations. You are a complete moron and obviously a hunter-major pathetic void in you–if you want to kill something look in the mirror. Things like you are what has ruined our earth. You are an ugly example of thousands and thousands of “people” that have no soul, no brain. I hope you get mauled by a mac truck and live.
In all sincerity-i would rather see hunters dead than animals any day.
Hi Patty C, Thank you for the response, it is actually responses like yours that show some of the “sickness” that exists in the so-called “animal-lovers”.
But you know what you sent in two replies basically containing the same thoughts so I will give you a full reply on your second response.
For any bloggers please look at the second response to PattY C.
Mike D.
“taking our homes away? our livestock? our pets? “I keep reading your ridiculous excuses to maim and slaughter beautiful beings..you’re a moron!! .I am beside myself with hatred for you. You are a pathetic neurotic little creep of a thing-how many phobia’s do you have?? You are so typical of redneck attitudes and pretend to put it nicely-the worst evil. I lived out in the Rockies in bear country you idiot, and bears were never a problem….you just had to be prepared and smarter than a bear to have no problems. OBVIOUSLY you are clueless. o kill, kill, kill…The birthing a baby bear is more beautiful than a human’s-go look at one. The fact that you can pretend to justify the killing of mothers and cubs (that’s what they slaughter in their hide outs the lying cowards like you) just shows what garbage you are.
We have more minority groups killing out pets and friends and relatives and slumming out our towns–should we shoot them too you jerk??? or learn how to live with them better through education ? You want dignified and intelligent responses to your crap blog–then get educated and come back!!!!!!!!!!
Patty C. This reply will be a response to your first reply and the second as well.
I am assuming that your name Patty would make you a female; not that I care.
Having made that assumption, it would appear that you are watching too many female action movies where the female “bad a—” stars are throwing karate kicks through the air and blazing away with automatic weapons. Or perhaps you are watching too many male action movies where the “bad a—” male stars are doing the same and spouting the dialogue you have apparently picked up on, you know! Big tough guy talk.
But after reading your remarks over a few times it dawned on me that; no actually the “characters” of the worst produced movies have never gotten as low as you.
Well, Patty C. on behalf of what we consider the “human race” a special thanks for exposing to the people that read this blog just how warped a “so-called” animal lover can be.
I say “so-called” because the “real-animal” lovers that visit this blog are focused on one thing; “their concern and opposition to hunting or some just on black bear hunting in New Jersey.
These “animal-lovers” are sincere however, they do not advocate or call people; let me quote you here:
Looking in a mirror and killing one’s self.
Horrifyingly ignorant thing
Call thousands and thousands of humans, ugly examples of people and hope they get mauled by a mac truck and live.
In all “sincerity” you would rather see human hunters “dead” rather than animals any day.
Moron, neurotic little creep, redneck, jerk.
Wow, then catch this now everyone, “Patty C” lets it all hang out then ends with; “You want dignified and intelligent responses to your crap blog—then get educated and come back”
Well! I will try Patty C, just wish I had opportunity to go to your school ; it must have taken you all of two weeks to get your “education”.
Here it goes; YOU NEED MAJOR HELP, and it is sad to think that a “human” , possibly a woman, can get themselves to the point where they can say, to quote you; “The birthing of a “baby bear” is more beautiful than a human’s–go look at one”.
I often write in my Blog about specific groups, both anti-hunters and animal-right, we try to have an exchange of thought, we disagree on many issues, but wishing them harm, death, getting hit by a Mack Truck and living?
Never and do you know why Patty C.? Because these groups, as dedicated as they are to non-hunting and/or bear hunting, still manage to draw the line between expressing their views in, now read carefully here, “in some semblance of intellect”.
Fact here Patty C. is that “millions” of citizens, not just in N.J. but in the world either hunt or support hunting as a right and more importantly as “wildlife management control”
So in Patty C’ s world (which is hopefully isolated somewhere from the real human race) millions of people, in N.J. and throughtout the free world, are subject to your ill- hate for the human race. So all the people in the World that hunt should be dead.
One day a being will more-than-likely visit us from a far away planet, or maybe they are watching us right now, looking to observe us as a race of people, before they make contact. God knows we have enough negative problems for them to see but I sure hope they don’t contact you; because unless they are descendents of bears; BANG-ZOOM they will be gone.
To all of the decent anti-hunters/animal-right groups that respond to my blog, I appreciate, as do the readers, the exchange of views. We share a lot of information, throw a few “digs” at each other (at times quite a few), but to wish any of you harm or vice-versa, to reach the depths of hateful-contempt illustrated by this extremely “unbalanced” Patty C. to wish “death” or serious injury on any human or even dream that any birth can compare to the birth of a human baby. NEVER
Patty C. wherever, or whatever, you are re-read your comments I am hoping that your frustration over hunting was so over-whelming that you simply LOST-IT. I truly believe that as law-enforcement often reads over these blogs that you are a candidate for examination.
Mike D.
Let the debate begin!
Hi Brody, yes and it has look for more opeds, weekly.
Mike D
Great post. I’ve been looking for this exact information for a while now. Bookmarked!
Hi Mick, thank you keep posted new opeds coming each week.
Mike D
Great post. I’ve been searching for this exact info for a while now. I’ll bookmark it in the public bookmarking sites to get you more traffic.
Hi Brody, thanks for the good words and appreciate you getting it out there to more people, this is an important issue and it is good for everyone that is interested to know real and accurate facts.
Mike D
Hiya from Belize! I have found your page on alltheweb. Interesting content! Eva F. Dobson x
Hi Belize, glad you found the blog and thought it interesting. Hope you keep checking as there will be many more OPEDS coming.
Mike D
This is my first time to visit your blog and I would say you share nice information. You definitely do research and write very well. Keep it up!
Hi Elois, hope you continue to check the blog out, thank you for the very kind words keep looking much more to come.
Mike D
Let the debate begin!
Hi Emory; Oh it has started and just, so stay connected and try to form an opinion.
Mike D
Do you have a “top posters” page to reward your best blog comments?
Hi Blair, no but I will discuss with my web administrator to see what is involved. Thank You.
Mike D
What I really like about blog articles is that often they trigger an idea in my brain. After that happens, I feel as I must respond expecting it may be pleasant to some people. For the reason that there are lots of weblogs with totally different points of view, they test your comprehension. It really is at these occasions when you have vital insignt others might not have had, which include the blogger her/himself. I find myself returning to your web site only because you have plenty of great insights and you happen to be at this a very long time, and that is very inspiring and tells me you know your stuff. Keep sparking imagination in others!
Hi Kristofer, thank you for the response and kind words. Just hope that people will better understand the need for action (hunting in this case) that might not be exactly what they consider.
I guess it’s like this, there is no other way to control wildlife populations than through hunting and hunting is legal. In addition to the right to harvest wild game, it is hunting that is critical in maintaining a safe, co-existing balance between wildlife and humans; especially black bears.
So you do not have to be a hunter to digest the opeds I write, just a citizen concerned with human welfare, human rights.
Mike D
Wow… I am doing a report on this for school, and i totally agree 100% with you njhunt… I see you are very well read and educated… Keep up the good work no matter how many Patty C’s you get!
Hi Evan T. and thank you for the good thoughts. You can bet that ann Patty C’s just support my dedication to this matter.
Posting a new oped this week with some very interesting pictures hope you have a chance to read it and check out the other opeds under my blog.
Good luck with your report.
Mike D
i think u should just leave the bears alone
Hi Kayla, FYI the “U” is not just “me” but “millions” of N.J. residents that think the bears should leave humans, domestic pets and livestock “alone” and “alive”.
Mike D
BRAVO
I,m 67 years old and travel around nj quite often.In all these travels i,ve never seen a bear.They can,t be that plentiful.
Dave, thank you for the response but just traveling in areas and not seeing bears does not represent that bears are not around.
The facts are quite clear, studies have been done not only by NJ biologists but qualified experts from PA all concluding that the NJ black bear population in NJ must be reduced.
Then we have the thousands of citizens that have been victimized by black bear attacks, houses broken into, property destroyed, domestic pets and livestock killed.
So on Monday 12/6/2010 NJ joins (28) other states that have included hunting as part of wildlife management. Finally a Governor and DEP Commissioner that stayed the course and NJ Court that refused to be swayed by the phony anti-hunting/animal-right groups and the non-experts they dig up like Tavss.
Just hope we can harvest enough bears.
Mike D
Good article, keep us updating, you are good writer!
Mike D
First of all I am a hunter and I live in Mass. Where I come from there isn’t one biologist that thinks that Baiting bears is anything but biologically reckless. You have a public safety issue with bears coming too close to people so you solve the problem by exposing the bear population to rotten garbage from bait piles! the bears that survive your “management hunt” will become conditioned to the smell and taste of garbage. Unless you and Anthony Mauro and Gov Christie go out into the woods and clean up the bait piles you will have an even greater problem. I recommend that you keep the Governor inside and out of the woods until after the hunt is over, because some dimwit hunter will mistake the Governor for a rather large and ugly bear
William thank you for the response. First of all the vast majority of the hunters that bait bear in NJ use; dunkin donuts, cakes, molasses, corn, sweet feed, berry mix blocks, apples, etc. This is not “rotten-garbage”.
So our management hunt, that includes baiting will have little effect if any on bears that will cause an increase in their activity related to garbage. Maybe we will have to consider closing Dunkin Donut stores or increasing security around drive-up windows.
Baiting of deer has been long allowed in N.J. and if anything you would think this would keep the bears in the woods and away from developments. This year we had a record acorn crop and plenty of food for the bears however, complaints were up as the problem is “overpopulation”.
{I would agree that any hunter stalking or hunting without bait has a harder task but baiting is effective and we need to take whatever steps are required to manage overpopulation.}
So once we get the black bear population reduced to a safe-co-existing number, once the black bear has more room in their own natural habitat, once the black bear associates the smell of a human as a threat, the quicker we will see the problems encountered with overpopulation diminish.
Now for the “Great State of Mass. from your point of view, although you do not formally allow hunting over bait, hunters are allowed to hunt corn fields, orchards, large berry patches, all food plots. WOW, that sounds something like NJ where hunters are allowed to do the same and/or create their own simulated corn, apple and berry plots. Oh! I guess we do have the option of dunkin donuts.
As for insulting our Governor and others, people that live in glass houses, etc, etc, etc.
Governor Christi is trying to do a job that dirty politics has left him to clean up, the issues he must deal with are far more important than a black bear hunt. Yet he has been the only Governor taking the time to review and then place trust in the professionals; biologists and NJDF&G. He would not play politics with a small minority of animal-right/anti-hunting phonies and moved forward with this hunt as do (28) other states and Governors including yours.
As for insulting him about looks, etc that shows what a shallow individual you are and takes away any creditability you might have earned.
Stay in Mass and mind your own business.
Mike D.
It’s the laziness of hunters that is giving us a bad name. Your getting advice from PA? The slob hunting capital of the US, where out of state hunters from NJ frequent PA for their slob hunting pigeon shoots!
Hi William, you are really on an “insulting-roll”. Now you consider yourself a hunter? So NJ hunters are dimwits and PA hunters are slobs?
Well, you are unique because you come across like both the hunters you describe in NJ and PA, all rolled up into one.
Just another anti-hunter hiding under the guise of a hunter.
Give it a break.
{By the way I fully agree that any hunter stalking game or hunting without bait has a harder task but baiting is required in many cases especially when dealing with overpopulation issues}
Mike D
Mike
It is obvious you think you are a know it all. You are like many hunters that fail to take responsibility for the obvious deterioration of ethics that i see today with the modern day hunter. For your information I have been hunting since I was a teenager and I am now in my fifties. My father taught me to respect nature and wildlife and to not make generalizations about certain animals and their value to an ecosystem. Fair chase is fair chase, and all animals deserve that chance. I have a problem with hunters like you that feel entitled to all animals just because you buy a hunting tag. It;s ok to bait animals because this is a management hunt. It’s OK to shoot mother bears and their cubs, kill em all right! These are everyone’s animals not just hunters. These antis as you affectionately refer to them as are sick and tired of pigeon shoots, canned hunters, animals being bred in captivity to be shot by a lazy pathetic would be hunter. Anyone that thinks it’s OK to shoot any animal for whatever reason and leave that animal suffering on the ground and discard it like trash is a slob. PA is the only state that allows it, and many of the license plates leaving the Philadelphia Rod and Gun or Wing Pointe have NJ license plates. If the shoe fits wear it. Instead of acknowledging these issues you question whether or not I am a hunter! You are going to wake up one day and your hunting heritage will be taken away one state one county at a time. You will no one to blame but yourself. Killing a female lion in front of her cubs in a fenced in enclosure- that’s the modern day hunter. Distance yourself from that hunter all you want- you will pay the price too
William, know it all ; NOT. But I do know, as will anyone reading this, you have no focus and no real concern for the black bear overpopulation in New Jersey.
Why? pigeon shoots, killing a fenced in lion in front of her cubs in a fenced in enclosure? Yes William this really relates to black bear hunting in New Jersey. By the way love how you avoided the” Crop fields and food plot bait hunting in Mass.
William, here is your anti-hunting give-away line; “These are everyone’s animals not just hunters”.
Know it all you say, it doesn’t take much to know a lot more than the likes of you.
Hunters like me? like you know how I hunt or what I hunt how I was brought into hunting what my father taught me or I passed on to my son and grandson.
We learned respect for animals and more importantly respect for humans, their right to pursue any legal activity even if we did not participate in it or agree with it as well. This is the heritage of America. This includes respect for the honest animal lovers that are not radicals, not phonies, that maybe even understand the real need for hunting as part of wildlife management.
You say; “I am like many hunters that fail to take responsibility” what do you think everything in this blog is about?
William, you started out against baiting making a comparision between NJ and Ma, never addressed your “legal baiting” over crop fields and orchards and then got up on your soap box spouting off about pigeons and lions.
It is in fact people like you, and if you are really a hunter even worse, that are destroying our heritage of hunting. When you speak on topics unrelated to the type of hunting the majority of hunters pursue, bad mouth hunters in other states, you are putting inaccurate and misleading PR out there.
William, if you have a real interest in the hunting issues you went off on then take the time like I did and start your own blog. Put in years of research, thousands of hours going over regulations of all states, corresponding with Governors, DEP and F&G, replying to hundreds of people whether or not they agree and having some whacko’s wishing you and your family death just because you are concerned about human rights, human safety and the rights we have in a free society to pursue legal hunting activities.
Do that William, do something to make your points, gather real accurate and factual information then present it properly and then address both those that agree and disagree. Stay up to 12 midnight like I am doing here in order to reply to someone like you.
As for this BLACK BEAR BLOG you offer “GARBAGE”.
Mike D