TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued a moratorium on the annual black bear hunt in New Jersey shortly after he took office. Now, the black bear population has exploded and dangerous encounters between the bears and New Jersey residents are on the rise.
Today, Governor Murphy signaled that he will consider allowing the hunt to resume in December after his humane strategies to control the population has failed.
“To protect public safety and support a healthy wildlife population, Governor Phil Murphy announced that the New Jersey Fish and Game Council will discuss the approval of the State’s Comprehensive Bear Management Policy (CBBMP) and consider amendments to the Game Code at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 15,” the Murphy administration said today in a statement. “As a means of reducing the black bear population and dangerous bear-human interactions, the amendments include measures to reintroduce a regulated black bear hunt beginning in December. The Fish and Game Council will also consider additional limitations to a regulated hunt, including prohibitions on the taking of cubs.”
Murphy today admitted his strategy was not working.
“Since the outset of my Administration, I have promised to ground every difficult decision on the latest science and evidence in order to protect our communities,” said Governor Murphy. “From the data we have analyzed to the stories we have heard from families across the state, it is clear that New Jersey’s black bear population is growing significantly, and nonlethal bear management strategies alone are not enough to mitigate this trend. Every New Jerseyan deserves to live in communities in which their children, families, and property are protected from harm, and while I committed to ending the bear hunt, the data demands that we act now to prevent tragic bear-human interactions. We must responsibly adapt to the population with carefully regulated and strict bear population management strategies to ensure our communities and families are protected from the growing black bear population.”
According to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), estimates that the black bear population in Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties – where the state’s population is centered – has increased, with estimates nearing 3,000 black bears. Meanwhile, reported black bear incidents, including dangerous human-bear interactions, have also increased.
“Incidents reported to the DEP from January through October of this year have increased by 237% compared to the same period in 2021. The most concerning of these incidents include: 62 aggressive encounters with humans, 1 human attack, 12 dog attacks, 12 home entries, 15 attempted home entries, 84 instances of property damage exceeding $1,000, and 52 attacks on protected livestock,” Murphy’s administration announced on Friday.
According to state estimates, the black bear population is projected to grow to more than 4,000 bears in the next two years.
“In the absence of population control measures, the rate of population growth will compound in future years as a greater number of female bears reproduce, with population reduction standing as the only scientifically sound method of restraining unchecked growth and dispersal,” Murphy said in a press release. “Dense bear populations can potentially lead to inadequate natural sources of food for the animals and territory for young males. This causes wider dispersion of bears into areas where they can come into conflict with people and increases the risk of bears seeking sources of food such as trash, pet food left outside, seed from bird feeders, agricultural crops, and poultry and livestock.”
The actions under consideration would reinstate a Bear Hunting Season for December 5 through December 10 for 2022 to run concurrently with the six-day firearm season for deer. If the 20% population harvest target is not reached, the season will be extended to the following week, December 14 through December 17. Bear hunting will be permitted on state and private lands within designated bear hunting zones.