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Mrs. Peel

Bear Hunting Now Banned on Public Lands in NJ

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Apparently, this was done by Executive Order signed by Murphy this past Monday. He makes it quite clear he's hopeful that this move is a precursor to banning bear hunting outright in the state.  I wonder, god forbid, what's going to happen when a hungry bear tries to eat someone's toddler? I'm not saying that to be dramatic... and obviously, I'm hoping that NEVER, EVER happens. But, the fact is, black bears have no natural predators left in this state... and most experts seemed to agree that hunting helps to keep their numbers in check which, as an added benefit, keeps bear/human interactions to a minimum. 

I know I have friends who live in Sussex County and Warren County who are already seriously fed up with the practice of relocating "nuisance bears" from other parts of the state to their areas. Some of these relocated bears are simply too unafraid of humans. I know one person right outside of Hackettstown whose pet goat became an entrée for a bear - only 30 feet from their house. I have another friend - avid runner - who was out jogging  (several years ago) up in Sussex County and a black bear kept pace with her (from the other side of the road) all the way home, popping in and out of the woods to take a look at her. Sure, maybe it was just "curious" but she was unnerved (to put it mildly)… I'm sure she's gonna flip when she hears this latest news! 

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2018/08/22/nj-governor-bans-hunting-state-land-stroke-pen/

 

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Do you think he put any real thought into this? It was an easy win for him to gain liberal votes from people who live in cities. We've had a bear roaming our property recently, lots of kids in the neighbor hood. We're all on high alert, and ARMED!

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When a bear attacks, they’ll blame the human. 

Although, in many cases it IS the humans fault. I remember reading several years ago that a man was mauled by a bear up in Wachung because he ran out of sandwiches to feed the bear. That was TOTALLY a stupid human problem. I heard the bear was killed by wildlife officials. I felt bad for the bear. 

Controlled hunting keeps the population in check and actually can beneficially balance out the environment animals live in.

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I have an idea.  Let's relocate all the bears to Murphy's estate in Middletown?

His idea is just another way he found to waste our tax dollars.  I don't know how much it is but relocation of a bear has to cost a lot more than issuing a hunting license...which the state collects a fee for.  

My question to Murphy would be what do we do when the bears become a problem where they were relocated?

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On 8/22/2018 at 3:06 PM, Mrs. Peel said:

 

I know I have friends who live in Sussex County and Warren County who are already seriously fed up with the practice of relocating "nuisance bears" from other parts of the state to their areas. Some of these relocated bears are simply too unafraid of humans. I know one person right outside of Hackettstown whose pet goat became an entrée for a bear - only 30 feet from their house. I have another friend - avid runner - who was out jogging  (several years ago) up in Sussex County and a black bear kept pace with her (from the other side of the road) all the way home, popping in and out of the woods to take a look at her. Sure, maybe it was just "curious" but she was unnerved (to put it mildly)… I'm sure she's gonna flip when she hears this latest news! 

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2018/08/22/nj-governor-bans-hunting-state-land-stroke-pen/

 

I've had bears break into my screened in porch twice, snap off some 6" tall Arborvitae shrubs 20' behind my house (bears do this to mark their territory - again 20' behind my house), had a 400 pound bear saunter out of the woods - without a concern in the world - while having a BBQ with 25 people standing around outside and young kids playing on the lawn. At my store I've found my dumpster flipped over more than once. I am seriously concerned that a bear might think my young daughter could be a nice snack.

 

If someone else gets killed by a bear in NJ Murphy will have blood on his hands. This policy is, at a minimum, reckless. Bears evolved being hunted by humans and the ecosystem depends on humans hunting bears to keep the ecosystem in check. Animal biologists are the only people who should be deciding where, when and how many bears should be culled from the ecosystem.

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7 minutes ago, Oakridgefirearms said:

Animal biologists are the only people who should be deciding where, when and how many bears should be culled from the ecosystem.

Completely agree! And yeah, up in Oak Ridge - you're right in the thick of relocated bear country. I'm not at all surprised to hear your stories. People in other parts of the state are just not tuned in to what a problem it's becoming. I think there's going to be more bear-human encounters, and some of them will be ending quite badly.

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I live in NW morris co., and without exaggeration, I can tell you I see more bears in my yard on regular basis than deer. And I don't even live in the woods.

I used to run and cycle. I've had them run along side me--he was in the woods and I was in the road-, I've crested hills while riding and there they were, sitting on the road. It become such a current occurrence it doesn't even faze me anymore. I didn't become complacent but the WOW factor went away. Heck a few years ago I came face to face with one while walking in Mountain Lakes.

They are everywhere. So, yeah I feel Tom's pain.

 

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A bear walked into the lobby of a hotel in Colorado.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/denver.cbslocal.com/2018/08/23/video-bear-lobby-stanley-hotel/amp/

Maybe Murphy will get the message when on this when a bear walks into his living room.  There already have been bear sightings in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

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I love all animals and I dont like to see them killed but sometime it is a "must". However being a motorcycle rider I think deer population has exploded and presents more of a problem then bears. Do bear eat deer? I think so. So maybe  thats  and answer of reducing one of the nuisances.

Beside that Al Sharpton might have a problem with hunting black bear.

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28 minutes ago, Peter Goldwing said:

I love all animals and I dont like to see them killed but sometime it is a "must". However being a motorcycle rider I think deer population has exploded and presents more of a problem then bears. Do bear eat deer? I think so. So maybe  thats  and answer of reducing one of the nuisances.

Beside that Al Sharpton might have a problem with hunting black bear.

It's a matter of catching them.  Bear are omnivores and will eat small mammals.  From what I've been told bear have a hard time catching a grown deer but at times catch fawns.  That only contributes to a well fed bear.

That still leaves the bear problem though.  I'm not a hunter but have nothing against it if one eats what they kill or it is a nuisance or predator like groundhog or coyote. I can even justify trophy hunting to a degree. You need to realize how much a trophy hunter puts into the economy and the meat is not wasted.

As I said earlier, relocating a bear has to cost at least several hundred dollars vs collecting a fee for the license and letting the hunter relocate the bear to their freezer.

Another advantage to hunting is bears and other animals learn.  A friend moved from Morris County to a PA where there is a substantial bear population.  He was plagued by bears when he lived in Morris County and I asked him about the bear problem in PA.  He said it wasn't as bad as NJ as the bears fear humans because they get shot at in PA.

I saw the same thing when I lived in AZ with coyotes.  I lived on a National Park and the coyotes had no fear of humans at all because they weren't shot at.  They would often stalk little kids.  A few miles away on the IndIan reservation the coyotes fled at the sight of a human.  They were always shot on sight by the Indians as the coyotes would attack and kill or maim their cattle.

 

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By Murphy doing this he pretty much spit in the face of all the NJ state biologists. 

"Public safety". Huh? 

If you combine hunting, skeet, clay, target shooting...look at the number of participants versus the number of injuries/death. ...it's literally one of the safest things you can do. 

His choice is dumb, ignorant, stupid, and insanely disrespectful to state wildlife employees who have spent months/years studying the bears. 

All that aside....

Have bow/gun. Will travel.  Lol. 

Nick

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11 hours ago, Oakridgefirearms said:

I've had bears break into my screened in porch twice, snap off some 6" tall Arborvitae shrubs 20' behind my house (bears do this to mark their territory - again 20' behind my house), had a 400 pound bear saunter out of the woods - without a concern in the world - while having a BBQ with 25 people standing around outside and young kids playing on the lawn. At my store I've found my dumpster flipped over more than once. I am seriously concerned that a bear might think my young daughter could be a nice snack.

 

If someone else gets killed by a bear in NJ Murphy will have blood on his hands. This policy is, at a minimum, reckless. Bears evolved being hunted by humans and the ecosystem depends on humans hunting bears to keep the ecosystem in check. Animal biologists are the only people who should be deciding where, when and how many bears should be culled from the ecosystem.

I've been stalked at the oak ridge resevior before in the woods on the back side... Not fun, even with a shotgun. 

The Newark watershed swallows up a ton of land around there, it's public land but it's not state.. so it should still be open to hunting bears.  Ithink.

 

There is a huge farm behind my house, mostly woods. I suspect I will see a few more hunters back there this year. 

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50 minutes ago, xXxplosive said:

IMO....1st step to banning all hunting then the firearms thing again.

What til Gov. Not-Too-Bright finds out that AR15's are legal for fox, coyote & woodchuck during the prescribed rifle seasons.

Next cue the PETA activists who think the pheasant stocking program is barbaric and inhumane. 

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I guess Murphy wants to deal with issues like this. https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/bear-breaks-in-bartlett-cars/article_5381d68e-ac89-11e8-a70f-cf57bb6fba27.html

This is on my street and the bear in question has tried to get into my truck twice in the last 3 weeks. 

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I dont hunt but i do spend time outdoors so i know how dangerous and unpredictable bears are,  when i lived up in lake tamarack my house backed up to watershed land,  there were bears all the time.        that being said I think that the hunters just need to adapt and maybe this might be a good thing.          What the hunters can do is to have party's invade the state lands days before the hunt and drive all the bears onto private land and  hunt them there.     what do think?  

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2 hours ago, capt14k said:

Where does the law stand if you find a bear in your yard? Are you allowed to shoot it?


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No.

I recall several cases where NJ homeowners shot bears on their property, all were found guilty and fined. So, unless threatened, just leave 'em alone and they'll be on their way.

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No.

I recall several cases where NJ homeowners shot bears on their property, all were found guilty and fined. So, unless threatened, just leave 'em alone and they'll be on their way.

 

Edit Ok Swimming in Pool not allowed to shoot them. If they are trying to get into your home or you encounter them in your yard and you feel you or others life is in danger you can shoot them. At least that is how I read the court decision involving the man who shot the Momma Bear and her cubs. Conviction reversed for Momma Bear and upheld for the Cubs.

 

 

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