TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey’s Fish and Game Council wants to scrap the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy from the state’s Game Code. In other words: no more black bear hunt after 2020.
“With today’s announcement, we will end the bear hunt under my Administration and develop a new black bear policy that keeps public safety at the forefront of our concerns while protecting wildlife in the State,” said Governor Murphy. “I am grateful to the Fish and Game Council for their commitment to working with the Department of Environmental Protection to address this issue and chart a better way forward.”
“I cordially invite Governor Murphy in all of his scientific glory to enjoy a beer and the view from my deck in beautiful Sussex County. It’s there we can relive some of my best memories of my own “bear management”, including the time a black bear pushed my chain link fence to the ground, or the time a bear decimated my backyard pool,” said Freeholder Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex) on social media following the announcement. “Then we can segue into that time a bear went head-first into my shed, attempting to get at those yellow, screw top “bear-proof” cans, leaving a cartoon characteresque bear-shaped hole in the doors. And we can talk about the time a bear repeatedly threw one of those same yellow cans that was chained to a giant tree in my front yard off a retaining wall into the roof of my car, leaving attractive dents in its wake. But perhaps my absolute favorite moment we can chew on was having to “tree” a bear with a golf club so I could walk across my patio to get my son at the bus stop.”
A remote hearing on the proposal is scheduled for November 4th at 2:00 p.m.
