By Donald Gilpin

For six days, from Monday, December 5 through Saturday, December, 10, New Jersey, for the first time since 2020, will allow hunters to shoot bears on private and state-owned land in northwestern parts of the state — unless the Animal Protection League of New Jersey (APLNJ) and other opposition groups have their way.

On November 15, 2022, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council voted unanimously to approve emergency regulations amending the Game Code and adopting a new comprehensive black bear management plan “to control the black bear population and reduce the threat of dangerous encounters between bears and humans through regulated hunting and non-lethal management measures.”

The Fish and Game Council vote was followed on the same day by approval by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) commissioner Shawn LaTourette and action by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to rescind his 2018 executive order that banned bear hunts on state property.

“The facts on the ground have shown that we cannot rely on nonlethal methods alone to protect New Jersey residents from a growing black bear population,” Murphy said. His decision was a change in course for him after he suspended bear hunting on state property in 2018, then in 2021 allowed the state’s bear management plan to expire, thus making bear hunting illegal throughout the state.

Doris Lin, animal rights attorney and legal director for APLNJ, which is filing a lawsuit to reinstate the ban, expressed her objections to Murphy’s initiative. “I’m extremely disappointed that the governor has broken his promise,” she said. “There is no bear emergency. The risk from hunting accidents is much greater than the risk from bears.”

In announcing his decision, Murphy cited a sharp recent increase in the number of bear sightings and encounters in the state. “While committed to ending the bear hunt, the data demands that we act now to prevent tragic bear-human interactions,” he said.

According to NJDEP, the hunt could be extended an additional four days, from December 14 to 17, if 20 percent of the estimated bear population is not killed during the initial six-day hunt.

Referring to “Murphy’s stunning reversal,” the APLNJ and others claim that officials have not implemented trash management and other non-lethal programs that could have effectively reduced human-bear encounters and enhanced public safety.

Through November 21, 2022, the NJDEP had reported 2,156 sightings and complaints of bear damage and nuisance for the year, an increase of 203 percent over the same period in 2021. So far this year 70 incidents of bears demonstrating aggressive behavior have been noted in the state.

Most of New Jersey’s bear population resides in the northwestern section of the state, with Mercer County reporting only 22 sightings and complaints from January 1 to November 21, 2022, according to NJDEP. The 2022 bear hunt is confined to five black bear management zones, which start just north of Princeton and extend to the northwestern corner of the state. Princeton and the rest of the state are closed to black bear hunting.

Princeton Animal Control Officer Jim Ferry stated that there had been no bear sightings reported in Princeton since August. He described responding to a call at an apartment building on Lawrence Drive in August. “I witnessed and then chased away a black bear that was going through some garbage cans,” he reported. “All we did was observe and pass out information about bringing in bird feeders and securing your trash.”

The most recent bear sighting reported in Princeton, later in August, was on Route 206 near Cherry Valley Road. “The bear was headed north into Montgomery,” Ferry said, adding that he thought there may have been two bears spotted in town this year. There were sightings reported near Herrontown Woods, at Tyson Lane and Poe Road, at Longview Drive and Hartley Avenue, and near Riverside School, as well as in Lawrence Township in the area of Mercer Meadows and Yeger Drive.

The Princeton Municipal website in August warned residents who might encounter a black bear, “Do not run from it; running may trigger a chase response. If you encounter a bear that is feeding, do not approach it, and slowly back away. A bear on a food source will aggressively defend it.”

More information on New Jersey’s black bears and bear management, new hunting regulations, and necessary safety precautions can be found at dep.nj.gov or BearSmartNJ.org. Black bear damage and nuisance behavior should be reported to the NJDEP’s 24-hour hotline at (877) 927-6337.