Well, here they go again! The Bear Education and Resource Group, fresh off one of the most devastating loses of their “Stop the Bear Hunt” cause (when they failed to rally enough people to vote against Governor Christi for his outright support of a black bear hunt, prior to and after the election)  have now filed some “bogus” lawsuit against the NJDF&W.

This law that they dug up is called “The (OPMA) Open Public Meetings Law Act”.

The Game Committee Chairman however, stated that all of the Council’s regular meetings are open, but subcommittee meetings, including the Game Council Committee, do not have to be.

So “check this out”:

The Bear Management Policy, under a 2007 state appeals court ruling, must first be publicly vetted much as an environmental regulation change. It will have been published in the April 19, 2010 New Jersey Register, which will start a (60) day public comment period, including a May 11, 2010 public hearing, to be held at 6:00 PM, at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. How much more open can it get?

Pay close attention here all of you New Jersey citizens that are, “overtaxed”, “out-of-work”, “retired trying to make ends meet”, “government workers” and “teachers” looking at job layoffs and pay reductions; The Bear Education & Resource Group, with a base of inexperienced, emotional, anti-hunters are just looking to “waste” what money you have already paid in taxes and spend what little money the state has, on bringing frivolous lawsuits to our courts against professional, experienced biologists and wildlife management experts.

OK, so now we have a public comment period, but why? Because of past politics; what good is “emotional” public comment we have heard it all. The anti-hunting/animal-right groups will be there preaching “GARBAGE”, yes we agree, but we need to reduce the black bear “over-population” then they will have more room in their own natural environment and less interest in our garbage.

Here I go again, (27) states have large black bear populations, (26) of these states respect and support their Fish & Wildlife Professionals, who all include hunting as the primary means of maintaining a black bear population that is consistent with human safety.

Through this culling process, which has taken place for decades, the black bear continues to thrive and remain a natural resource. In this day, in any of these states has the black bear faced extinction. Remember, it was way “back-in-the-day”, (1970) when the New Jersey Fish & Wildlife made the decision to close hunting as they saw the black bear population dwindling to a dangerous low level. Back in (1970) there were no cries from the public and quite frankly, very few people cared about black bears.

So remember this; it was the NJDF&W, not anti-hunters or animal-rights groups that stepped in to save the black bears; NJDF&W DID IT.

Now we need to trust The NJDF&W again, we need to step back and use some common sense; No wildlife, animal or mammal  can be simply left to propagate to “whatever” number they can reach, especially a carnivorous black bear that is at the top of the wildlife (and when they feel like it human) food chain.

It was just reported March 30th, in Vernon, New Jersey a man got a summons for killing a black bear in his backyard. All through my blog I have attempted to discourage anyone from doing this because the state has no options other than to fine you, unless you can clearly prove that the bear was a direct threat to you or family members. This remains to be seen in this case.  But now fear and frustration appears to be setting in and this demonstrates that people are getting worn out by the threat to their families, domestic pets and livestock  and with the invasion of property by the “overpopulated” black bear.

So once again, I encourage you to let your “voices” be heard in support of the black bear hunt and please refrain from any actions that can be construed as illegal. Our Governor knows the problem, the DEP understands and now supports the F&G Council bear management plan which includes hunting, help by supporting them.

Yesterday a black bear climbed over my daughters fenced in yard, crushed the fence on the way in then crushed the other side on the way out. My two grandchildren play in that yard with their friends and pet dog, luckily they were on the deck and not in the yard.

So is it “let the debates begin”? No, it is let the threats to human safety begin, lets put our children and families in harms way because some emotional, inexperienced, misleading people are still trying to convince the Governor and the public “those black bears can multiply to WHATEVER and they will not bother anyone” just control your garbage and the black bear will magically disappear into some unknown, uninhabited space. RIGHT!

The black bear hunt must take place this year; actually it should take place in September, not December but we need something to get started. The DEP passed the F&G black bear management plan; (45) extensive pages of scientific research just logon to:

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

Take the time to read this report, put any emotions aside and allow the WILDLIFE PROFESSIONALS OF OUR NJDF&W TO DO THE JOB THEY WERE TRAINED FOR.

Mike D

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 

 

2009 Action 

There are several OP-EDS within this website, njbearhunt.com ,that will provide readers with real facts concerning the overpopulated New Jersey Black Bears. Please read so you can become familiar with the truth. 

The simple fact however, is that EVERY STATE, with a large enough black bear population to create a human safety issue, holds annual hunting seasons to bring about and maintain a safe coexisting black bear population. 

New Jersey is the only state that does not and as a result of cancelled hunts in 2006 and 2007, 2008 saw the largest increase in all categories of black bear complaints. 

This issue cannot be allowed to remain a political football any longer because some poor human is inevitably going to be seriously mauled or killed by a black bear if the population is not lowered and bears adversely conditioned to be fearful of humans; both of which will be accomplished through annual hunting seasons. 

This year with the Global Financial crisis affecting the entire United States and New Jersey of course, our citizens will be looking for “staycations”, staying at home in our backyards and local recreation areas. There will be cookouts, families and friends getting together, children playing outside, all targets for serious bear conflicts created by the increase in human activity and an “out-of-control” overpopulated black bear that has absolutely no fear of humans. 

I would implore you, especially the Bear Group, Humane Society and other anti-hunting groups to stop this charade, you are publishing lies and misleading information and starting your blitz on the politicians to stop a hunt. 

Anyone, any of you politicians out there please use a little common sense; with (26) out of (27) states successfully using hunting for decades to maintain a healthy, coexisting black bear population why would you think New Jersey can be different? 

Black Bears in New Jersey have three to five cubs each year; they cannot simply be left to multiply any longer. Just where does anyone suppose the black bears are going to live, we are out of room.  

For the millions of the non-hunting public that understands the need for hunting in culling and controlling wildlife populations, you must write and voice your opinions because it appears that our politicians do not listen to facts and figures, successful hunting programs of (26) other states they seem to be fixed on counting potential votes. They refrain from dealing with political hot potatoes. Do not let these groups get away with making this a trophy hunt wanted by blood thirsty hunters, this is about human safety and protection. 
 
 

Here are the contacts:

Mr. David Chanda

Director Div. Fish & Wildlife

Dept. of Environmental Protection

Doc # 05-09-03/718

P.O. Box 400

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0400 

Governor Jon Corzine

Office of the Governor

P.O. Box 001

Trenton, New Jersey 08625 

Commissioner Mark Mauriello

Dept. of Environmental Protection

C-401 E. State Street

P.O. Box 402

Trenton, New Jersey 08625 

Somehow in your own words let these people know that HUMAN LIFE is INVALUABLE and that common sense dictates black bears can never just be left to multiply, they are already overpopulated. None of us wants to read the news when a black bear seriously mauls or kills a human and certainly those of us living the nightmare in bear country fear the day it is one of our family or friends.

For all the love we have for animals none should compare to that of human life nor the agony of watching a human being suffer and die. 

Mike D

 

Today, Friday August 22, 2008 1:30 PM, my daughter who works for me received a call from her (9) year old son who along with her (7) year old daughter, my grandchildren, were being watched by their grandmother.

Mommy, there is a big bear and three cubs in the backyard, by the swing set, they are lying in the grass. Grandma is scared as they are coming near the deck.

My daughter immediately left for home while I called the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife where I received an answering machine message that if this was a black bear emergency to call the local police.

I immediately called the local police and spoke with a dispatcher who went through a scripted response; where are the bears, do you have a bird feeder and is your garbage out?

On the back deck, no and no I replied. Well the dispatcher said there is nothing we can do because they are just hanging out in your backyard, stay inside and don’t let them in.

Wow!! Another rocket scientist. I said well somebody better get there fast because there is a scared grandmother and two young children with a bear on the deck.

My daughter arrived and the bears were still there she took pictures from inside the house and as the police pulled up they left and descended into the backyard down into someone else’s’ backyard.

When everything was calm she returned to work and said, you know Dad what is really scary is that Grandma was about to take the kids outside to play on that swing set. Now I am really concerned since you really can’t even feel safe in your own backyard, in fact myself and some of the more intelligent neighbors, as there are some that think it is cute to have them wandering into your yard and garages, are afraid to even take a walk with the kids or the puppy.

We got rid of the bird feeder a long time ago; we put the garbage in the garage.

Well Daughter you are not alone as each day more and more families are finding that both anti-hunters and animal-rights groups have duped our politicians, into believing that we can just allow the bear population to continue growing without posing a danger to human life.

They have even duped some police departments, like yours where a dispatcher with absolute no real knowledge begins a lecture on how garbage causes the problems. Yes garbage is like a leaking condom, it produces babies.

Garbage, must be secured everyone now knows that, but that is no longer an answer to the dangerous black bear problem that we have in N.J. today. We have too many black bears because the political football is still being tossed about to prolong the only proven method of black bear population control; HUNTING.

When does this stop? When do the politicians back out and allow the F&G to do what they did in 2003 and 2005, hold a hunt that guess what? Really worked as black bear complaints went where? DOWN.

Any idiot can do this simple math, not enough natural habitant, more humans more bears, more problems.

Time and time again, those of us in the know sound like a broken record, (26) other states use hunting and have limited black bear problems while still maintaining an adequate number of black bears for the tree hugging thick heads.

Why do we have to wait for an already failed black bear management program to let everyone down, let them down to what? The serious injury or death to some innocent human, more than likely a child.

We have received the warning from the black bear, they are going past secured garbage and long ago discarded bird feeders to the next food source; kitchens, garages now inside our houses.

So some dispatcher makes a decision as to when the black bear is dangerous, only when they are trying to get into your house. Wrong. They are dangerous whenever you see them, whenever they are near you, they can break through any door or patio glass window quicker than a human thief. They are unpredictable and as we tighten up there food supply, garbage and birdfeeders, they will find our kitchens and garages.

This happened in Fredon last month and only disclosed last week, when a black bear attempting to enter a house for the third time, once chasing two children, was shot by the owner who was carrying a legally registered pistol, on his own property.

Just yesterday, a Vernon man going home on route 515, attempted to avoid a black bear running into the road and is now in critical condition with head injuries after hitting a utility pole. Good advice for the future, run the freakin bear over before you kill yourself or some other innocent person/person’s attempting to “save-a-bear”.

This has to end anyone reading this who values human life, your family or some other innocent family better write your congressman, senators, the Governor and DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson and ask that this non-sense, stop, because the black bear program in this state failed in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 that is (7) years of failure listening to politicians and (2) years of success 2003 and 2005, listening to our professional biologists and NJDF&W.

Need any more proof? If yes take a reality check.

 

Mike D.