DEP to expand Annual bear hunt
A public hearing has been scheduled by New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for next month in order to expand the state's annual bear hunt.
The Fish and Game Council has recommended the hunt to most of northern New Jersey and adding another six-day season starting in October 2016.
New state rules to broaden the hunt territory to include Wayne and Bloomingdale are under attack by wildlife advocates. According to them, a bigger hunt doesn’t equal better management of black bears.
Bear animal welfare groups have already criticized the changes and said that bear killing is unnecessary as their population can be controlled with a better management plan.
Jeff Tittel, New Jersey director of the Sierra Club, said the management plan needs to include greater education efforts. It should encompass bear aversion therapy, which trains bears to fear humans, and bear-proofing garbage and other property.
He said, “All we're doing is expanding the hunt without doing anything to manage bears. To us, whether you have a hunt or not, you have to have a real management plan”.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the rules will slow an increase in bear population. Agency spokesman Larry Hajna said hunt is a management tool, which is necessary to maintain the population, keep both the bear population sustainable and healthy and reduce conflicts with people.
October hunt would begin in 2016 and hunters will be able to hunt for six days in October in addition to six days in December. This is under the changes to the Game Code, which governs the management of the state’s black bears. The December hunt this year will continue as before.