I don't have a problem with this. There are just too many black bears in Sussex Co. and it causes to much danger with the amount there is, I don't go on long walks like I did a few years ago because I had a close encounter with one on Brooklyn-Stanhope Rd.

I think you can predict the answer to whether or not you are for or against hunting by who are the true animal lovers and who are not (and who have better ethics and morals).

Sunny, your statement "and who have better ethics and morals" can you please explain? I know many hunters who are respected in their communities, live all life (not just animals, they show compassion to their fellow humans as well) they typically hunt to feed their families. So I am not sure your implication that "true animal lovers" are better people holds water, BUT I am willing to hear your FACT based argument.

Also I am assuming being a "true animal lover" you eat absolutely no animal products and wear no leather, right? That you do not have any pets nor do you believe in Zoos.

Before anyone says anything, No, I'm not hippie animal rights activist nor am I a vegetarian but last year's bear hunt just saddened me. Right after the approval many people got a little gun happy and the media ate it up showing carcasses tied up in trucks. I see bears in my backyard pretty often but it's not like as soon as they see me they come murderously charging after me. Make some noise and they leave, it's that simple. If you fear your pet's safety keep them inside. If you worry about your kids WATCH THEM! And most of all "If you really care don't feed a Bear"

I think the bears should be left alone unless they become an actual threat. I live in Sussex county and have had many Bear come through my yard. If you leave them alone they move on pretty quickly. The majority of bears that I have come accross in my yard or my neighbors seem like they are more scared of you then you are of them. I think the concerns are real with some people having fear for the children, but to just kill the Bear once a year, babies and all, is absurd. It reminds me of serial killers, they like to keep a trophy of what they have done. Thats what this Bear hunt reminds me of. I was ok with last year being they had not had one in 5 years, I wasnt happy about it but I understood it, but not every year.

Wild life is wild and ALWAYS potentially dangerous. It's purely statistics... if the population of bears and humans increases in an area conflict is inevitable. We all compete for the same space and resources. If you want to wait until a pets or humans are physically harmed then I would questions ones ethics and priorities. I love bears but I don't want them to starve or injure humans and pets when they are forced to eat from our backyards...

Please no one attack me for my opinion. See that too much on here. I just want to state my opinion. I don't think its right just like I don't think hunting deer is right. Bears are trying to live their life and for people to go out and get so excited about killing an animal is monsterous to me. I don't see how a human being could go out there and shoot and kill animals. I'm not a PETA person but I believe in treating animals of all kinds with respect. I hope one day bear hunting and deer hunting comes to an end. I understand there have been attacks and so on but helloooo they live outside what does everyone expect the bears to do build a home and live in it and wave to us and never walk around neighborhoods,etc. The hunt sickens me.

As an ex-wildlife rehabilitator, I have a piece of important information that may give you some additional insight to the bear hunt. The State was paying a vet to tranquilize and tag bears before the population of bears took off (I'm talking over 13 years ago). This vet, that was working the Stokes State Forest area approached the State (DEP) and told them that the population of bears was growing and would eventually be a problem and for a little more money, he could sedate the bears a little longer and neuter them at the same time as tagging. The State was not interested in this idea. Why?? Well, they wanted the money for the hunting permit!
Don't let them fool you into thinking they didn't see this coming and didn't have a plan in mind. There is nothing worse than having an inexperienced hunter hunting this species. You think you are afraid of them now? How do you feel about a bunch of wounded bears running around!

Wow! An awful lot of vegetarians on here...

I am a hunter but I choose not to hunt bears, because I do not wish to harvest one. I love deer and bird hunting and enjoy the delicious dinners they provide. But please don’t say that hunters are cruel, mean, or don’t have a love of the land or the wildlife it provides. Without the hunters Dollars there would be more building, less land held in the public trust, no fish and game lands and certainly a lot less places for all of us to enjoy the outdoors. Stop the building …. Keep the forests for the animals and the nature lovers.

Look at the damage deer cause in areas that are not hunted. Car damage, property damage, damage to shrubs and the spread of deer ticks. We have forests that are suffering from over grazing and some that will never recover because of the deer populations. Then we hire hunters to kill the deer at a substaitial cost to us the taxpayers. When we could let hunters harvest these same animals and pay for that right through licenses fees. But people still want to stop the deer hunt even with all this evidence staring them in the face. So again please be fair to the hunters, we are your neighbors, your friends and we have nothing to be ashamed of, we enjoy the hunt ……Dammed right we enjoy Hunting we enjoy the total experience, the friendships, the traditions and the outdoors!!!
Thanks for letting me speak my mind about this subject!!!

Hunters hunt because they enjoy hunting….A true statement why else would you do it???
But as for the reason there is a bear season has a very complicated answer….We keep building in their habitat then expect not to see any wildlife…..What are you thinking?? We leave food outside for cats, birds, and other animals and expect the wildlife not to take advantage of a free meal!!! We a fully the reason there is a bear hunt…..just look at the panic that ensues when a bear is seen in a neighborhood or nears individual homes. The police are called, the media is called and we make a circus of the situation. I am surprised no one has set up a concession stand to take advantage of the crowds. Instead of calling in the troops scare them …scream, use a whistle, air horn or other sound making device. This will keep the bears out of your area. The bears I have encountered looked at me with as much surprise as I looked at them. They have all turned and ran as fast as they could away from me because I scare them. Bears fear the unknown and look at us as intruders in their land.

To Hookerman, Thank you for telling the truth about hunting and hunters. Hunters hunt because they like to kill animals.

Where does desire to kill animals start? If you saw a child killing an animal what would you think about the child? At what age does killing animals become acceptable?

When you're old enough to get a hunting license

I was always told that bear meat was just about inedible, even if you cook it specific ways to make it more palitable, its greasy and grainy. Although I am not a hunter, nor know many, I am more afraid of a run in with a bear and my dog than anything else. And you can't possibly just keep a dog inside due to this fear, a dog has to go out when he wants or has the need. How would you know if a bear was lurking about? I wouldn't participate in a hunt, nor want to see it in action, but I think it is needed, perhaps not annually , but once they see the population grow to larger numbers.

I think it's cruel. Animals have the right to exist just like humans. I don't see any "harvesting" of people, and we have birth control options. If it's a matter of over population (which is what I understand it to be), then maybe they should be relocated, or as was stated above, for a slightly higher fee, when they are caught for tagging, have them sterilzed. I'm sure there are plenty of animal lovers out there who would be more than happy to donate a few dollars to subsidize these costs (I don't have much myself, but would be willing to do so to save an innocent animal from dying). I also don't believe you can eat their meat, so why else would people want to hunt them other than for what used to be "bear rugs" or the "sport of it?" I was also mortified when I saw on the news that they are allowed to kill cubs! This is just not right. I personally have never seen or heard of them destroying peoples homes and attacking their pets. Each time I see them, they meander away from my home without any such incidences (and I've seen a number of them on my property). This is a travesty.

Ah, the nasty people return. The danger is not the issue here Apple. The "main" reason for the "harvesting" is the population. I compared it to humans because we are allowed to continue to over populate (mostly those who cannot afford them putting the burden on the taxpayers), when we have birth control options (China has a law allowing only 1 child per family), and they don't. As I stated, I'm sorry but I don't read daily reports of people in these areas being attacked and mauled by these bears. And as I also stated, I have them in my yard, I have a young child, I have a small dog, and I keep them inside when I see them. I put up a small fence around the back yard myself at a very minimal cost so if my child or pet is out in the yard, I have time to bring them in. As was also stated above by someone, when they are right up at my window and I look at them, they just continue on their way. I have NEVER seen them attack or damage my property or anyone elses. If people would put their garbage in sealed bags and put the cans inside their garage or sheds (where I put mine), they would more than likely go elsewhere seeking food. We are invading "THEIR" territory, they are not invading ours! ANOTHER ISSUE REGARDING "HUMAN" overpopulation.

Im a plant lover and I think vegetarians are mean!

@Apple: I am certainly not young or naive, and I have the right to my opinion as do you. Exactly what town do you live in, as this is a Patch site for all the local surrounding areas? What type of damage have you seen? In case I am not mistaken, this "Harvesting" has nothing to do with killing bears for food, it is about OVER POPULATION! That is what my referalls to China and America have to do with it. They are animals and they cannot control their population.

@Adam: Where did you read in my statement that it should be payed for by the taxpayers? I stated there are plenty of us willing to put out the money to protect them. This has everything to do with the money hungry government and nothing else, they just want the hunting permit fees. I also most certainly DO NOT OPPOSE THE DEATH PENALTY and personally don't think they use it enough! You people just don't get it. THEY ARE ANIMALS, THEY DO NOT MURDER PEOPLE LIKE HUMANS WHO HAVE MINDS AND KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG! GIVE ME A BREAK. I'd like a list of every single one of those hunters and would like to visit their homes to see how many of them are using it for meat!

Besides, the whole issue has to do with over population. Human beings are the only life forms on the planet that have sex for any reason they can think of other than to pro-create (and gee imagine--the US is at the top of the list--at least if people are telling the truth). Animals only mate once a year, so it's not like they're running around like humans having sex every day.

And in case you still haven't figured out what the "Human" population has to do with, I guess I will spell it out for you: The bears are running out of habitat because the "Humans" continue to populate and take over all the land. Get it now?

Dolphins sport fu*k and that's a fact ...

Some animals engage in homosexual sex also ..
-

I KNOW HOW NJ TAXPAYERS CAN SAVE A HEAP OF MONEY!!!

DIVISION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE seems like PORK that needs to be trimmed.
It is TIME for them TO GO or at least have a good house cleaning. Who wants to SAVE SOME MONEY next year?

Also I say let's make sure GOVERNOR CHRISTIE does NOT GET ELECTED to another term in office.

In my earlier post I explained my position …… But I am amazed at how so many people with so few facts can make so much noise about a subject they know so little about. Learn the facts……The real facts and look at all the issues before engaging the mouth.
Hunters pay for their sport and your also for the land the preserve for you to use to bike and hike and picnic in. NO tax dollars are involved!! People do eat and enjoy Bear meat, it happens to be very tasty; you should give it a try. Governor Christy is doing a great job….Sunny and your wrong about the pork …so you are 0 for 2 in your comments. I really think that most people in here have good intentions but attacking your fellow man is not the way to solve the problem.

Frank, Are you a used car salesman? Because no one is buying it.

Where does the money come from for the salaries at the NJ State Division of Fish and Wildlife?

Christy is an unpopular. bully who will not have a second term. The reason he passed on running for President is because he knows he wouldn't win.

I have never seen or heard of anyone eating bear meat (that really shows how desperate you are to prove your point). At least not in civilized America.

As far as attacking your fellow man (with words), I guess you think it is better to attack scared animals with sophisticated weapons with the purpose of killing them.

Just because you don't eat bear meat means nobody does?

Yes