The first and most important bit of “factual” information any New Jersey resident needs to know is;

 

 “THERE ARE MORE BLACK BEARS THAN THE STATE’S HUMAN POPULATION CAN BEAR.”

 

The second most important bit of “factual” information is that some Animal-Right and Anti-Hunting groups have preyed upon New Jersey politicians by providing them with false and misleading information regarding hunting black bears. They have shifted the focus to politics and created the illusion that a black bear hunt is unpopular among voters.

 

The third most important bit of “factual” information is that serious black bear incidents went down the following years of the (2003) and (2005) hunt and drastically increased beginning in 2007 and more than doubled in the next (12) months of 2008 all because of canceled hunts.

Category (1) – Black Bears that are a threat to public safety and property; these are the most serious bear-human interactions and include livestock kills, pet kills, vehicle entries, home entries, attacks on humans, unprovoked dog attacks, and similar events.

Category (1) Incidents increased (+ 146%) with (112) incidents in 2007 to (276) incidents in 2008.

In all Categories 1, 2 and 3 the state’s black bear unit received (2814) calls from January 1, 2008 through December 20, 2008 an increase of (102%) from 2007 where (1395) calls were received for the same time period.

 

The fourth most important bit of “factual” information is that currently (27) states have a large enough black bear population to create a public safety concern. Of those (27) states (26) include hunting as the primary method of population control. Only New Jersey has political leaders challenging the professional biologists of the New Jersey Fish &Wildlife and Fish & Game by postponing and blocking recommended hunts required to reduce the black bear population to a safe level of co-existence between humans and the bears.

The Governors of these (26) other states are both Democratic and Republican. They all acknowledge and understand the emotions of those sincere people that have a problem with hunting in general; however, they trust and support the professional biologists of their Fish & Wildlife departments; they brush aside those animal-right and anti-hunting groups that use issues like black bear hunting as an agenda targeting hunting in general; they are not willing to jeopardize human safety in order to secure votes.

 

Wildlife management is a specializied profession and the experts in this field including certified biologists, have an obligation to “protect” wildlife while at the same time establishing legal limits and methods of population control through recreational hunting. Their job is not an easy one in New Jersey where the animal-right/anti-hunting groups have been able to use deceptive information to get the ears of vote hungry politicians.

 

Here is an example of just one of the recent typical misleading articles published by The Humane Society of the United States:

(1)

Hunting May Increase, Not Decrease, Human-Bear Conflicts

New Jersey hunting proponents claim that reducing the number of black bears will reduce human-bear conflicts. But a growing bear population doesn’t necessarily lead to more problems. Between 1985 and 2002, the estimated Minnesota bear population increased from 8,000 to 21,000 but complaints dropped from 2,859 to 625. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources suggested a link between the drop in complaints and residents learning to live with bears and prevent more conflicts.

 

The Truth

Minnesota holds annual black bear hunting seasons to include; rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader and bow/arrow. The following is the states reported numbers black bears harvested by hunters:

First line is the year, second line is the number of bears harvested, and third line is the number of recorded nuisance complaints received. From 1987 to 1995 these were complaints examined on site while from 1996 to 2008 these were complaints handled by phone and other received.

 

1987    1988  1989  1990  1991 1992  1993 1994 1995 1996  1997 1998 1999 2000

1577  1509  1930  2381  2143 3175  3003 2329 4956 1874  3212 4110 3620 3898

 789    771   1117  1890   935  1562  1010  696  1568 1296  2857  743   987   723

 

2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008

      4936  1915  3598  3391  3340  3290  3172  2135

        782    625   505    582    512     483   443     551

 

The number of harvested bears varies based upon established quotas with weather conditions affecting harvest numbers in certain years.

 

The Humane Society then fails to mention that in (22) years Minnesota has allowed hunters to harvest 65,494 black bears while still maintaining a black bear population to a safe co-existing number. Nuisance complaints have been high in some years but from 2000 through 2008 they have been at a steady low.

 

Land development and housing as in every state has an impact on the number of complaints received, there will never be a time when any state that allows hunting will have no nuisance complaints.

 

Common sense should also enlighten us to two facts:

 

·        What would the complaints be if 65,494 black bears were not harvested, plus newborns that would have drastically increased this number?

·        With 65,494 black bears harvested Minnesota still maintains a healthy black bear population.

(2) New Jersey’s hunt targets the bears that are least likely to come into conflict with humans, because the hunt takes place far from inhabited areas.

 

Another misleading and false statement;  Truth: New Jersey has more than 750,000 acres of public hunting lands of which thousands of acres border problem black bear areas. West Milford and Vernon and several other towns in Sussex and Warren counties have developments surrounded by these state lands. In addition, private hunting properties abound throughout the state also surrounding problem areas. A hunt would definitely include harvesting of substantial numbers of black bears that are causing damage and threats to human safety.

 

(3) The hunt may actually increase conflicts, since hunters are allowed to lure bears on non-federal lands with bait such as pastries and cooking grease. Habituating bears to human food sources teaches them to seek out homes, campgrounds and other human-related food sources.

 

Here we go again another false statement: Truth: The N.J. hunting regulations make it unlawful to bait bear and in fact since the bear season ran in conjunction with the whitetail deer season, it was illegal to even hunt over the remains of a field dressed deer as well as F&G considered this bear bait..

 

(4) New Jersey Hunters want a Trophy Hunt:

 

Truth: New Jersey would not be considered a “Trophy Hunting State” although there is no doubt there are some large black bears in N.J. the majority are not in a trophy class, there are just too many bears and size is not the common denominator for culling the population.

 

There are only two issues that the animal-right/anti-hunting groups are correct in stating and it should be pointed out that the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife had pointed out these same rules long before the anti’s plagiarized them from the F&W pamphlets and website:

 

·        Secure Garbage in some form of bear-resistant garbage can.

·        If possible, keep garbage in until garbage day.

 

(We would also suggest drilling a one inch hole in the top of the garbage can lid and line the top of the garbage with a few paper towels, then soak the towels with ammonia when putting the garbage out for pick-up. It is important to use the paper towels as they will contain the ammonia longer and prevent the garbage pick-up people from being sprayed with ammonia.)

 

As for adverse conditioning, once the black bear is hunted annually they will very quickly become ADVERSELY conditioned to avoid humans.

 

The harvesting of bears will open up their own natural habitant giving them more room to roam in the environment they prefer.

No matter what anyone feels about hunting, it is legal, it is effective and it the only proven way to reduce and maintain a safe, co-existing number of black bears to humans.

 

With all do respect to the sincere people that simply do not like the killing of any animal you have to look at the facts and the need to protect human life before wildlife. Harvesting and consuming wild game is a right and choice of a free society and whether an individual prefers to shop the super market for slaughtered meat or hunt their own, in fact more healthy, non-processed meat, is not wrong, it is a right for those who wish to do so.

 

New Jersey, like the rest of the world is going through a financial crisis, we do not need to waste money on “stall tactics” for stopping a black bear hunt while asking state workers to work less hours and cutting jobs as well.

If we do what is right, what (26) other states do successfully, we can reduce the danger to humans from overpopulated black bears and instead of wasting money earn some through black bear hunting permit fees.

 

We need a hunt this year the black bear population cannot be allowed to continue growing as this will keep forcing the expansion of their travel and need for food. All the warning signs are here, and we will be in for some serious danger if we allow non-sense to override common-sense and politics to overrule the professional biologists we have in place to perform the task.

 

It is not only hunters that support a black bear hunt it is millions of non-hunting citizens that recognize and respect the right to hunt and the proven effect of hunting on controlling wild game populations.

Let’s face it (26) other states cannot be wrong and New Jersey the only one right.

New Jersey is a battleground state for animal-right/anti-hunting groups they are pouring money and time into this fight with no regard at all for human safety.

Governor Corzine, must hear from the other side, we must get his attention so he can take the time to research this further. The Governor speaks to the hard decisions to be made regarding budget cuts and worker time reductions and layoffs, he understands this perfectly clear. Once he fully understands the problem and remedy through hunting, he will be able to suck it up and make the right decision; allow the F&G experienced professionals to handle the problem they are paid to do.  

·        Contact the Governor (609) 292-6000 or e-mail through the Governors state website.

·        Contact Acting DEP Commissioner Mark Mauriello (609) 292-2994

 

“Simply state that you support a hunt to reduce the states black bear population and oppose the misleading tactics of the animal-right/anti-hunting groups that try to keep this a political issue rather than professional wildlife management as is practiced successfully in (26) other states.”

 

Mike D

 

 

 

 

Talk about harrassment.

A release printed in the New Jersey Herald, Newton, N.J., 9/28/08 Quotes Corzine as making the following statement:

 

Calling it a “real and present issue”, Governor Jon Corzine said Friday there probably won’t be a change in the state policy that prohibits a black bear hunt.

Corzine said the number of black bears was only a problem” If you want to call it that”. He then stood by Department of Environmental Protection’s position that better waste and garbage management will reduce the incidents of bear-human contact. 

“A lot of the problem is perception,” Corzine said. ‘There are less intrusions” and most complaints are simply sightings and confined to a small part of the state. 

The Herald noted however, that figures released last month showed the number of serious incidents involving bears were doubled this year over last year. In fact, all reports clearly indicate that this is the worst year of black bear problems including (56) house break-ins. 

For complete, proven factual information simply surf back through this website to learn just how serious the New Jersey black bear problem is. 

Governor Corzine’s remarks can be clearly compared to the anti-hunting/animal-rights evaluation of the bear problem. It was almost like having one of their representatives making the remarks. 

A “small” part of the state? Only a problem “if you want to call it that”? Now this is a good one, bears breaking into houses, ransacking kitchens’ for food, killing domestic pets and livestock, posing such a serious threat to humans that mothers are waiting at bus stops to see their children safely off to school, tax paid for backyards no longer safely available for recreation, bear monitors on school play grounds to spot roaming bears, bear safety drills so children can safely be shuffled back into the school when bears approach the area, people carrying bear spray or other means of protection when walking dogs, gardening or maintaining their properties.

It walks like a wild bear, it destroys like a wild bear, it threatens like a wild bear, it poses a real threat to human safety, like a wild bear, yes you can “call that a real problem”. 

If you will take a moment to read through the lines here you will quickly discover that Governor Corzine is “listening” to the anti’s and still ignoring the New Jersey Division Fish&Wildlife, state biologists and his (26) other fellow Governors, both Republican and Democrat, by the way that allow their professionals to determine the wildlife management policies of their states rather emotional liars. 

Here is the problem in a nutshell; Politicians’ count votes and the anti’s have them convinced that supporters of a hunt are the approximate 130,000 licensed sportsmen in N.J. They cite this as less than 1% of the over 8 million N.J. residents.

Then they break this down to 130,000 trophy hunting, blood thirsty killers just looking to put a black bear rug on their floors or a head on the wall. 

The anti’s have support from similar groups from around the country, groups that other than in N.J. have failed in their attempts to undermine the professionals of F&W, biologists. Therefore, N.J. is a sort of “last stand” for their ill advised cause. 

What Governor Corzine does not see, is that the support of hunting is far greater than just licensed hunters, it has the backing of millions of N.J. citizens. In addition, Governor Corzine seems to shrug off “the small part of the state” Sussex County in particular, just for your interest a mainly Republican county at that. 

The economy is as you all know in shambles; cuts are being made everywhere and sadly in much more important places than we would like to see. Yet N.J. continues to waste time and much needed money on this black bear issue. 

To be completely redundant to my other articles, we have eight (8) years history. In the two years, 2003 and 2005 in which the state came to its senses and allowed a black bear hunt the following years the actual black bear intrusive activity went down. After each year of the cancelled hunts the intrusive black bear activity went back up.

This year 2008 after three (3) years of no hunting we have reached a “documented”, all time high, of negative black bear activity including the (56) house break-ins. All through these years garbage control and educating the public along with adverse conditioning of the bears has been in place and practiced. How many more years of experience do we need? 

How then can a Governor make these statements even to go as far as downplaying the actual severity of intrusive behavior? Answer: He is being totally duped by the anti-hunting/animal-rights rhetoric.

Let’ face it does anyone really believe that Governor Corzine with all of the financial problems and concerns running the state really has the time to sit down and properly analyze the “wild black bear”? 

His advisors and inexperienced DEP Commissioner, Lisa Jackson is listening to the loudest voices and those voices are those of the anti’s. 

It took a near fatal accident for Governor Corzine to realize the value of seat belts and observing speed limits, we need to reach out to him so he can see the need for allowing the F&G, biologists to manage the states wildlife and we need to do this before another tragedy, like a human being seriously mauled or killed by a black bear takes place. 

We need to tell him that we have a basic “human-right” to expect a safe haven in our own backyards and the kitchens and garages of our tax-paid for property, at bus stops, in schoolyards and public recreation parks and land. In essence, we expect and pay for the safe use of our property and the state is expected to take whatever action is necessary to insure that safety. 

Since when is a problem in a ‘SMALL PART OF THE STATE” not really a problem? More important the problem is not confined to just a small part of the state as intrusions have taken place all over the state. 

This is just such frustrating non-sense it is hard to imagine that any intelligent person cannot understand that we live in a developing state wherein the black bear population is thriving and going over the states natural land carrying capacity. 

“Better waste and garbage management” will have absolutely no impact at this time in reducing and/or containing the black bear population or intrusive behavior.  

“Janet Piszar, one of the anti’s funneling misleading information to the Governor and DEP stated this non-sense logic; bears are now forced to forever live in fragmented habitat surrounded by human environments’. If bear attractants: garbage, bird seeds, pet and livestock food remain and 40% of the bears are killed, what will prevent the remaining 60% from being lured by those same attractants?” 

Janet Piszar, or her followers, if by chance you can read try this; stop misleading everyone before it is too late; you know fully well that if we reduce the black bear population through hunting by 40%, that opens up the thousands of acres of natural habitat for the other 60% to retreat to. Hunting then becomes “true” adverse conditioning as the “smart black bears” as you always brag they are, will associate humans with death, theirs not ours. It will not take long for the black bear to “fear” human contact and return to their shy, timid, non-intrusive behavior and now less occupied by black bear territory. 

Legal hunting lands both public and private are close enough to developed areas where hunting will definitely impact problem bears. This is especially true in Vernon and West Milford where state land joins many backyards.

Legal hunters are not 130,000 as they have support to pursue hunting from millions of citizens in N.J. Twenty-six (26) other states including California cannot be wrong they just put emotions and personal agendas aside and place “human-safety/human-rights” before “wild, dangerous, intrusive animal rights”.  

All supporters of hunting as wildlife management control; Contact the Governor, let him hear the truth from all citizens, we need to reduce the black bear population, hunting is the only proven method, hunters are actually agents of the state performing wild life management, bow hunters and gun hunters together are not the problem they are the solution; guess what they generate revenue as well.

Mike D

As we go through the worst year ever of black bear problems in New Jersey with (56) direct house break-ins and over (1372) nuisance complaints, pets and domestic livestock killed we have to have highlighted by a Verona, N.J. resident an accident in the state of Washington wherein a (14) year old bear hunter shot and killed a hiker.

This tragic hunting accident although rare should result in this person never being able to hunt again, and being punished accordingly by law, as this type of incident should carry “no-second-chances”.

The (14) and (16) year old hunters were dropped off by their grandfather and left to hunt alone another mistake in judgment by the adult grandparent and parents that may have trusted his judgment.

Some talk has been made at the type of clothing worn by the hiker while using trails during the hunting season. This should not even be a consideration, although the bright orange safety clothes color is a plus no one human should be shot in the head being mistaken for a bear.

That being said, this is no reason to make a comparison to our black bear problem in N.J. nor to jump on the “hunters just want to kill something” rhetoric, nor to quote, “feel pity for the families of these two-legged creatures.”

Here we go again, take a rare occurrence and yes tragedy and use that to justify (56) house break-ins, over (1372) nuisance complaints, domestic and livestock killings and the increased dangers of the overpopulated N.J. black bear. 

Pity belongs to two legged people like this Verona resident far removed from the N.J. problem black bear areas, far removed from the daily dangers faced by people living in the heart of black bear country; pity to a person so quickly willing to put down all hunters for the act of one.

The black bear problems in N.J. are not just one; they are numerous as verified by factual reports of incidents by victims and newspapers. The fact that we have humans attacked but not killed to date is not an excuse for allowing the black bear to continue multiplying until that inevitable day happens.

In this country, especially after 911, we have learned to read warning signs and to take action to “avoid” tragedies’ “before” they occur. The black bear dangers are a boiling pot waiting to flow over and if citizens like this Verona resident are allowed to “read the signs” and then dismiss them, we are in trouble.

Lastly from this Verona residents letter the anti’s misleading statement; “In the 2005 N.J. bear hunt a woman with a camera was documenting a blood trail and a gutted bear while shotgun bearing hunters angrily told her she was intimidating them as they couldn’t get to their trophies”.

The woman was Angie Metler, known anti hunter who was actually caught with this camera on a sting operation that resulted in jail time and fines for deliberately attempting to disrupt a legal hunt. 
 
 
 

As for the hunters trying to get to their trophies, black bears are not trophies, they are nuisance criminals that break into houses and garages, kill domestic pets and livestock, destroy food crops and infringe on New Jersey taxpayers rights to use tax paid for private and public property. They are an increasing threat to human safety; they are defended by animal-right and anti-hunter fruitcakes that somehow believe that animal rights come before human rights, that until a human in N.J. is actually killed by a black bear we should ignore everything else they do and more importantly ignore the warning signs given by none other than the BLACK BEARS themselves. 

Just imagine, wait for a tragedy before we take action, how tragic is that? 

This is especially true of the Bear Education and Resource Group (B.E.A.R.) ONCE HEADED BY Lynda Smith and now taken over by well know anti-hunter Janet Piszar.

This is the most misleading group of individuals in the state that even went as far as bringing in a “so-called” bear expert, Steven Searles from California then duped the local papers into covering his story and recommendations several years ago warning N.J. against a black bear hunt. Searles it was found, was a once hunter, trapper, carpenter that assisted the local authorities in Lake Mammoth, CA (10) square mile resort of houses and condos’ to chase out roaming bears from the resort areas where hunting was impossible. In fact, CA holds two plus month black bear hunts to cull approximately (1700) bears annually.

B.E.A.R. also uses comments from Doctor Lynn Rodgers, bear expert and “entrepreneur”, that runs a bear retreat of a (4) day bed and breakfast and walk with the bears (food conditioned pets) for approximately $1000.00 a pop.

Lynda Smith did a good deed with revisiting garbage education, but the NJDF&W had similar information available on their website for years. Problem here is “garbage” security will not lower the black bear population to a “safe co-existing number”

Lynda Smith however had real compassion for the black bear and within that passion could not bring herself to cope with legal hunting as the only proven management tool. Janet Piszar on the other hand is a well know anti-hunter whatever the species and using the black bear to further her anti-hunting platform. 

Ironically, hunters are the true animal rights people, as they along with the criticized NJDF&W were responsible for working together to give us the healthy black bear population of the 1990’s and it was the anti’s that thwarted, in part through politics, the continuing management required in the 2000 to 2008 era to maintain that healthy balance. 

The black bear problem in New Jersey will not go away until a hunt is held as part of wildlife management population control and watch out Verona resident the expansion of the black bear could reach you soon then we will see how much love of wildlife you have. See how you feel about letting your children go outside, how it feels to give up the freedom of your tax-paid for backyards, how it feels to look over your shoulder while simply planting flowers or taking a walk down the streets of bear invested areas. 

You won’t and you may never know because people like you are selfish and concerned only about issues that do not affect you. For those like you living in bear country with this attitude, human life just doesn’t measure up to wildlife, how sad is that? 

Mike D  

 

Apparently Pennsylvania and New York are prepared to issue arrest warrants for black bears that are crossing over to New Jersey because of “food-attractants”. Problem is they are sneaking back and forth without paying road tolls at Dingmans’ Ferry, Delaware Water Gap and New York Thruway. (A joke of course as is the statement below being taken seriously unfortunately)

Do you believe this; apparently Governor Corzine made a statement on NJ Network, a known biased news station that “bears were coming from PA. and N.Y. because of N.J.’S “food-attractants”.

 

So you see as the animal-rights/anti-hunters see every excuse they give to postpone a black bear hunt fall short of truth and fact, they dream up yet another bogus explanation. Unfortunately, Governor Corzine buys into this non-sense in an attempt to refrain from admitting that the decision to postpone or outright ban a black bear hunt was “wrong”.

 

Both PA. and NY have successfully held black bear hunting for decades harvesting anywhere from 2000 to 4000 black bears annually. If it were true that black bears were abandoning those states, other than in isolated cases as New Jersey bears have also visited both PA and NY to no real numbers, then we definitely have a need to reduce our population by hunting.

Why? Because without hunting in these two bordering states can you imagine how many black bears may in fact enter New Jersey.

It is PA that believes New Jersey black bears are crossing over into PA forcing them to increase their own hunting seasons.

 

Janet Piszar, known anti-hunter, was at it again at last Tuesdays’ Fish and Game Council meeting when she showed pictures of dumpsters around Branchville, saying that was the reason we had bear problems, why productive rates are high, because they attract bears.

 

All of this non-sense will continue until the silent-majority floods Governor Corzine’s and DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson with complaints and demands for a hunt.

 

Here it is in a “nutshell”; the problem came into the limelight in 2000 when the overpopulated black bear showed itself to be intrusive, destructive and dangerous. Governor Whitman yielded to animal-right/anti-hunting pressure and stopped the planned hunt; this inflated the political football now being tossed about.

Conditions worsened until 2003 when it became so obvious that citizens were in danger and a hunt was held. In the following year, 2004, the complaints went down. Yet the anti’s succeeded in keeping this a political issue and the 2004 hunt was cancelled again. In 2005 as complaints rose once more a hunt was passed. In 2006 complaints went down again.

 

 

The New Jersey State Supreme Court ruling in favor of a (5) year black bear management plan to include hunting was challenged in the courts by the anti’s and with the support of a new regime, Governor Corzine and his new DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson the decision was once again cancelled.

 

We have eight (8) years of history when beginning in 2000 the same emphasis was placed on garbage control, adverse conditioning and sterilization studies were considered. It is over, nothing will solve this problem unless we follow the lead of less political involved states, (26) of them, that allow the qualified experts, Fish and Game and biologists to perform their job assignments.

 

Read this a few times; only in the (2) two years in which we had a hunt did the black bear problems stabilize. Two (2) out of eight (8) years we got it right, proven right. That is all the proof we should need.

 

This is the worst year ever, if we do not hold a hunt this year, next year will be a disaster.

 

Contact the Governor’s office, contact the DEP Commissioner, and do not let the anti-s continue to feed opened armed politicians, these non-sense excuses to delay the only proven method to gain control of this very dangerous threat to human safety.

Mike D