Bear Over Population In NJ

Since the last allowed hunt in 2005 and beginning in 2007 through this year 2009, the lack of hunting to reduce and maintain a safe black bear population has led to a “red-alert” level of dangerous black bear activity. 

The problem is animal-right and anti-hunting groups that have basically lost battles to stop hunting throughout the country. In (27) other states with large enough black bear populations to cause a safety issue for the human population, the Governors, Republican and Democratic alike have not allowed these groups to interfere and stepped aside to allow their professional, experienced wildlife commissions and biologists to control the problem. 

With major losses in other states these groups focused on New Jersey where starting with Governor Whitman in 2000 they have been able to use a fragmented government to their benefit. They have spent enormous sums of money enabling them to keep this in the political arena through the lure of votes.   

The Governors office and DEP have fallen prey to misleading information and lies buying into the call for bear hunting as nothing more than blood thirsty hunters looking for trophies and a Fish&Wildlife wanting to sell more hunting licenses in order to save their jobs.

While millions of non-hunting New Jersey citizens support hunting as well as Senators from bear problem areas, the animal-right/anti-hunting groups, of much less support, continue to flood the Governors’ office and DEP with protests.

These animal-right/anti-hunting groups never come up with any suggestion on how to handle this problem other than GARBAGE, GARBAGE, and GARBAGE. Yes, their whole solution to black bear population control is to secure all garbage. 

Well let’s set the record straight; the majority of us that support a hunt also support GARBAGE control, no question here. But, but, we also know that secured garbage alone, will not solve the current black bear overpopulation issue and will not reduce the growing black bear population. Because of the interference from these groups, a hunt is now inevitable. At this point you do not need to be a biologist to figure this out; black bears will continue to propagate year after year, as they have done since the last hunt in 2005. Herein lies the problem; New Jersey, as do many other states (27) to be exact, does not have the room for uncontrolled growth of the black bear population. 

What we do have, is a black bear problem in areas bordered by state hunting lands and thousands of acres of private hunting lands. This means that hunting in areas like Vernon, West Milford, Sussex, Montague, Blairstown, etc. will really lead to the culling of bears that now roam into the developments and communities surrounding these areas. Once these bears are culled back it will leave room for the remaining bears to drift back into the security of the forests. This then will reduce the flow of black bears throughout the state.

More importantly, hunting is the “best’ adverse conditioning a black bear will learn. We all agree that black bears are smart, we know that because in New Jersey, they have nothing to fear; pot banging, horn blowing even rubber bullets are easy for them to get used to. Hunting however; the bears will figure out after a season that humans represent danger, this again is adverse conditioning. Once again let’s be upfront, even hunting will not stop all bears from roaming into human populated areas, but it will reduce these intrusions to a less dangerous level, one we can all cope with. 

The New Jersey F&W and biologists, who are responsible for bringing back the black bear population, have no intentions of allowing hunting to destroy it. Hunters who have a proven track record of following the rules are not looking to destroy the black bear. What is the proven track record? Hunters with few exceptions have respected the F&G, for decades and the recent Governor and DEP whose interventions stopped the bear hunt.  

We, hunters and non-hunters supporting a hunt, also know that hunting alone will not stop black bear problems, because development of land and/or years when the bear’s natural food is not available, like wild apple trees, berries, nuts, herbs, plant parts, etc. will impact their decision to roam areas of human activity, invade houses, kill domestic animals and livestock and maybe lead to dangerous encounters with humans. But hunting is a proven method that will drastically reduce these problems. 

So we all want to find a solution, respect the law, honor this great black bear but how? Here!

Respect the legal right of our citizens to hunt and the right to harvest their own food, some people go to the store letting others do the harvesting, cows, pigs etc, while many others prefer finding their own; the end result is a meal either way. 

Allow a controlled hunt to reduce the major black bear over-population at hand. 

Continue to monitor the population and adverse human encounters and complaints. 

Expect, demand our F&W & biologists to monitor the population and regulate bear hunting so we do not overhunt the black bear. 

Do not feed black bears. 

Leave the black bears alone; resist photo ops or human contact that will take away their fear or apprehension of humans. 

Support and encourage garbage security with our family, friends and neighbors. 

The police do not have the time, nor should they actually be side tracked with bear problems, so make a citizens report of unsecured garbage to the proper authorities. 

This is a plan, we as supporters of a hunt and/or hunters must do our part and the animal-right, even anti-hunters must come to grips with the fact that hunting is the only, proven method of reducing and maintaining a wild animal, in this case the black bear. 

We each need to give a little, to better understand each other because if any wild animal, especially a potentially dangerous one, is simply allowed to propagate to whatever number they can reach, the end result will be more drastic than hunting; attacks on humans, sooner than later serious injuries or death and then the black bear will be totally disrespected and wasted. Remember, only one Smokey Bear helps put out forest fires, the rest live in the real world. 

Mike D

Many of the anti-hunting/animal-rights groups often refer to Dr. Lynn Rogers, Minnesota based so-called bearcourse/bearstudy workshop wherein people can learn to co-exist with black bears.

These courses generally run (4) days and cost approximately $1000.00 (of which $900.00 is listed as tax deductible) The fee goes to the nonprofit (501C) (3) Wildlife Research Center. The deductible $900.00 is the portion beyond actual expenses and is considered a donation to further their research and education program. The courses are coordinated by Sue Mansfield a recent graduate of Antioch University, New England where she completed her Master’s work. Mansfield has been conducting field work with Dr. Rogers since 2001.

Together Rogers and Mansfield monitor approximately (50+) bears in the study area learning the bears personalities. Many of these bears are monitored through radio-collars.

Courses are conducted at the Northwoods Research Center and surrounding forest west of Ely, Minneosta.

The course as noted; helps participants to realize the extent of the misconceptions held by the public and anyone who has not actually spent time with bears.

 

Rogers is noted as one of the world’s experts on black bear behavior and has shown that black bears can be lived with in peace. However, he cautions others severely that his techniques have taken long periods of time to learn to read animals signs.

 

Rogers further states “It took many years for me to overcome the brain-washing I grew up with about bears. Finally I began to interpret their body language and vocalizations in terms of their fears rather than my fears, and I found that I could build trusting relationships with these intelligent wild animals”

 

Whether intentionally or unintentionally the research of Lynn Rogers is serving the anti-hunters/animal-rights groups by creating the illusion that we can “get-close” to and “co-exist” with wild black bears. The buzz word here is “wild”.

Rogers and Mansfield are working with and studying black bears in an almost “open-zoo” environment.

As noted by Rogers; he built first and second story ledges where he places feed such as seeds, nuts and acorns, supplementary food to the bear’s diet. As the bears found the food, Rogers hung around and persuaded them to eat out of a large can.

 

This is simply an old “hunters” game plan. Prior to hunting season in states that allow bear baiting, the hunting outfitters will place (55) gallon drums in the forest and place rotten meat, bread, donuts and molasses inside. This will attract the bears to the area where they will then become accustomed to the feeding schedules. These “food-conditioned” bears will eventually appear as the guides drive into their areas to deposit more food. In fact, in the off-season the outfitters will place buckets of hard bacon or other meat fats, in these locations so any chance the bears get they can return to the baited areas for supplemental refills.

It is no secret that once a black bear or most wild game for that matter find a food source they eventually will become more comfortable with the surroundings. In places where people feed deer they can rattle a can, place the food next to them and have the deer come out of the nearby woods to practically eat out of their hands.

 

These study bears are conditioned by repetition and fed to accept human interaction and by no way are a reflection of the wild black bears that populate our states and for purposes of this report New Jersey.

 

There are two issues here:

 

First: The majority of humans do not want to create a condition wherein they are sharing backyards and public parks with wild black bears.

Second: In spite of Lynn Rogers’s “homey bears” the black bears that the majority of us must deal with are “wild”, “unpredictable”, “dangerous” and have exhibited a change in behavior from once shy and timid to aggressive.

 

There have been enough unprovoked black bear attacks over the past year alone that supports the “bad-news-bears”.

 

Just this month:

 

Caliente, California; a 56 year old mother was mauled by a bear while walking her dogs. Only through the sacrifice of her dogs did she somehow manage to escape though badly bitten and mauled. A nature lover with years of experience in the Sierras, the woman said she’s had countless encounters with bears, and always believed it wasn’t in their nature to attack. But her latest encounter has changed her mind for good.

 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park; an eight year old boy and his father were mauled by a black bear that pounced on the boy in a creek without provocation. No food was present the bear simply attacked the boy.

 

“This is so rare”, said Lynn Rogers, I don’t know if you would call a bear like that a demented bear, like some people, or a super bear that decides, ‘Hey, I can take a person” quite a remark from the so-called bear expert.

 

 

 

Well if Rogers would further his research to other areas in the U.S. and Canada places where black bears are “wild” and not fed and studied in the “open-zoo” he would find the answer.

Perhaps so best observed by another more practical bear expert; Stephen Herrero who recanted a Rogers like analogy Herrero had published in his 1985 book on black bears stating that “black bears were essentially benevolent”.

 

 Herrero stated under oath while giving a deposition in a black bear mauling lawsuit against Arizona in a 1996 mauling of a 16 year old girl by a relocated nuisance black bear that traveled back some 100 miles to the same location to attack and  permanently disfigure the teenager:

 

“I do think that there is more danger than I realized from food conditioned, habituated, and aggressive bears, the combination of the three. And if I were rewriting that chapter, I would emphasize that there are three ingredients, habituations, the food conditioning, and rewarding aggressive behavior over time that increased the chances of injury…I have learned since the publication of the book that there is more involvement in serious injuries by black bears than I knew of at the time that I wrote the book.”

 

Dr. Rogers has been compared some to Dr. Jane Goodall, who interestingly has been criticized by some for; “using feeding stations to attract Gombe chimpanzees” for research.

 

As for comparisons to Dian Fossey there are none as this very brave and talented woman was studying the vanishing Mountain Gorilla in dangerous, remote areas of Africa where the population, due mainly to poaching, was down to less than 200.

 

Here is the problem with today’s black bears; they are no longer shy and timid. The human population and development of land has created the need to control and maintain a specific number of black bears that can move about in their own natural habitant.

 

In essence, black bears do not need to be observed as in the Lynn Rogers open zoo environment, do not need to be fed to bring them into research areas, there is no need to reach out and touch them they should be left to the privacy of the woods and forests where they are born.

 

Bears are at the top of the food chain and in order to maintain a “healthy black bear population” and this will sound challenging to some, there must be hunting by their only real predator, man. Through, this proven wild game management tool the black bears can be controlled to a number wherein they have enough room to move about in their own natural environment.

 

In states where we have hunting and still have black bear problems this is an indication that the bear population is not consistent with available habitant. States like Pennsylvania recognize this and adjust their hunting seasons accordingly.

 

Just imagine what black bear problems we would have in our country today if not for the black bear hunting seasons of our (26) sister states that understand the need to separate politics and emotions from biologists’ input. Hundreds of thousands of black bears would be around today and with them triple the attacks, injuries, deaths and problems.

 

Lastly, sterilization and other proposed non-lethal remedies have failed and will continue to fail; this is not part of the wild game enviroement. There is no more time for the stall tactics of the anti-hunting/animal-rights groups, inexperienced politicians with personal agendas or the mislead public’s emotions. Non-lethal methods have never and will never work this has been proven in N.J. when black bear problems were down the year after each hunt and substantially increased the years after non-hunting. Wild game is taught to survive, the strong do for the most part to live and breed, others become part of our human food source and other products which is exactly why they were created. No different than domestic animals like cows, goats, chickens, etc a food source.

 

Mike D.