21.05.12

Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. – Aldo Leopold

A Facebook friend of mine who lives in Oak Ridge posted on Saturday night that he was relieved the bear hunt was over for another year. He’s one of many New Jersey residents who purchased a bear hunting permit but did not bag a bruin this season. He saw a few individuals while perched in his tree stand, but never had a clear shot, so he refrained from pulling the trigger. However, his dad was successful, as were some 463 other permit holders this year. That number is down considerably from the 592 bears harvested in 2010. Two rainy days last week are believed to be responsible for this decline in number, as both hunters and bears are less active in inclement weather.

Of course, it may be that the state’s actual black bear population is lower than the current estimate of 3,400. Those protesting the hunt – primarily along Route 23 in Franklin, where the weigh-in station is located – cite bad science all around on the part of state officials in sanctioning the hunt. One of them went so far as to say that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is just making it up as they go along, because "they want the hunters to be happy.

Source: NorthJersey.com