In New Jersey, call in complaints about “nuissance bears” are down to a measly 90 whining reports between March 21 and April 20. Compare that to the 305 calls the state Department of Environmental Protection recieved in the same period the year previous and you get a sense that, well, the yuppies are winning the fight against the wild. “Nuissance” bears, who, probably feel the same thing about the fence and concrete craved humans in the region, are back on the hunt list in the state of New Jersey. In fact, nearly 600 bears were exterminated last year.
And the DEP has just declared another 6 day bear hunt in December.
However, reports of “Category 1” bears — those behaving aggressively toward people, pets or property — declined slightly from 21 to 18. Its good to know the really wild ones are still out there lurking.
Last year’s hunt resulted in rather heated protests at hunting weigh stations in the state.
Hey New Jersey, there is a long and glorious history of hunt sabotage. These bear hunts aren’t about people connecting with land and reconnecting with the food chain, feeding their families or engaging the wild. These hunts are about exterminating beings that threaten property. The slobs that take part in these hunts can be stopped.