New Jersey's Bear Hunt Will Provide More Trophies than Protections to the Public

	©2005 AP Photo/Tim Larsen

Starting on Monday, December 5, black bears in New Jersey will face the working end of a rifle during a nearly week-long hunt that is more about gathering trophies than about solving human conflicts with these predominantly shy animals. Earlier this month, the state's Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell approved the hunt, first proposed by the hunter-dominated New Jersey Fish and Game Council, as part of a five-year management plan that will do next to nothing to solve the Garden State's conflicts with bears.

The only thing the hunt can guarantee is this: that more bears will die, adding to the 328 who died in the 2003 hunt.

The hunt will be New Jersey's second in three years as part of the state's fumbling attempts to manage conflicts between humans and bears, even though there's no scientific evidence showing that a hunt reduces such interactions. Last year, the New Jersey Supreme Court canceled a bear hunt and instead called upon the Fish and Game Council to develop a five-year plan to manage the state's black bear population before resorting to a cull.

The court's action came after hunters—represented by the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, a well-funded national hunting lobby—had sued the Department of Environmental Protection when Commissioner Campbell refused to issue permits for the 2004 hunt. Campbell had partly based his refusal on a December 2003 population study that showed New Jersey's black bear population at about 1,500, or less than half the state's estimated 3,200 bruins. 

Eleven months later, however, Campbell changed his tune, signing off on the Fish and Game Council's management plan that proposed not only to control garbage and to increase public awareness and scientific research on bears, but also to hunt black bears over the next five years. What the plan didn't include, however, was a scientific study to determine the state's total black bear population, the key element in justifying any hunt.

How could the council produce such a lightweight management plan heavy on the killing? Easy, given that under a law that has not been updated in nearly 30 years, the council is comprised of 11 members appointed by the governor, and six of these members—an absolute majority—must be hunters or fishers recommended by the state Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, a hunting industry lobbying group. What's more, no current council member represents the environmental community, the humane community, or the general public.

In 2001, hunters represented less than 2% of New Jersey's population. But this tiny minority has a monopoly on the management of wildlife that by law belongs to all the people.

More Smokescreen than Solution

The state promotes the hunt as a "management tool" to reduce human-bear conflicts by reducing a bear population that has grown too large for human safety. But this is a smokescreen, not a serious argument. To begin with, New Jersey's first—and only—bear hunt since 1970 was held in 2003, when some 5,450 hunters killed 328 bears. Just how overpopulated can bears be when 94% of the people who are out in the woods searching for them can't even get within rifle range of one?

Second, the state supreme court suggested that the Fish and Game Council base its management plan on, among other factors, the "absolute size" of the bear population. But the plan the council proposed included no statewide population estimate. In fact, the council has made no visible effort to determine how many bears there are in New Jersey, and has provided no explanation for past errors in population estimates. The Fish and Game Council has not asked the most important question that must be answered before it can claim that a black bear hunt is scientifically justified.

Without a known population size, Commissioner Campbell is basing his decision to endorse a hunt in part on the number of nuisance bear complaints and general sightings, which have reportedly increased this year over the previous year. The public may view these sometimes increasing numbers and assume that the Campbell is correct in calling for a hunt. However, the numbers may be deceptive partly due to the Department of Environmental Protection's policy of relocating “problem bears” to areas previously uninhabited by these animals. What's more, the complaints and sightings may be more the result of human neglect than bear aggression, since residents may still not be exercising basic precautions to deter bears from their backyards. 

Finally, if hunts were the solution to human-bear conflicts, then how do New Jersey hunters explain that overall complaints and sightings decreased from 1999 to 2002 without the "aid" of a hunt? 

The fact is, black bears are shy animals who avoid humans whenever possible. Unfortunately, with urban sprawl gobbling up more habitat, it's becoming increasingly difficult for bears to avoid people. Most backyard and campground visitations are caused by a few bears who have learned that they can find food around human habitation. The use of aversive conditioning and bear-proof garbage cans, as well as some simple precautions about feeding pets inside, would do far more to reduce conflicts than a hunt.

To Bait or Not To Bait

A random bear hunt is no more likely to reduce bear incursions than shooting people at random on the street would reduce urban crime. In fact, if the Fish and Game Council were really concerned about protecting people and property from hungry bears, it would not allow hunters to put out bait piles to attract bears, a practice allowed for this year's hunt. Bait piles train bears to look for human-supplied food and therefore contribute to the very problem that the council claims this hunt is intended to solve.

HSUS members and other New Jersey residents have worked hard to show Commissioner Campbell and Acting Governor Richard J. Codey that they will not be silenced by the hunter-dominated Fish and Game Council. On Saturday, November 19, protesters gathered at a rally sponsored by the Bear Education and Resource Group (BEAR Group) on Route 23 to express their opposition to yet another ill-advised hunt.

At that site two years ago, a cub shot by a hunter crawled onto the highway and died as shocked motorists looked on. At the protest, more than 100 citizens turned out with signs and young children, hoping to encourage fellow residents to act to save the bears. In addition, HSUS ran a full-page ad in the November 29 edition of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, asking the paper's hundreds of thousands of readers to contact Acting Governor Codey to cancel the hunt. 

What You Can Do 

If you are a New Jersey resident, you can support this effort. Please contact Acting Governor Richard J. Codey today and encourage him to cancel the bear hunt and leave office with a great act of compassion on his record.

Acting Governor Richard J. Codey
Phone: 609-292-6000 or 609-777-2459
Fax: 609-777-0357 or 609-292-3454
Click here to e-mail the Acting Governor.

Casey Pheiffer is The HSUS's deputy campaign manager for hunting.

See the Video

New Jersey Bear Hunt

Related Links

State Wildlife Management: The Pervasive Influence of Hunters, Hunting, Culture, and Money

To Feed or Not to Feed Wildlife?

The Humane Approach to Human-Wildlife Conflicts

Solving Problems with Black Bears

Black Bears

The Last Supper: Bear Baiting on Federal Lands in the United States

New Jersey's Black Bear Hunt Leads to Conflicts Between State Officials

New Jersey's Bear Policy: Co-Exist or Kill?