The first phase of the newly-instituted archery bear season concluded on Sunday with promising results for bruin hunters in the Garden State. After gaining approval from Governor Phil Murphy in September, bear hunting seasons have been cleared through 2028 to help contend with bulging populations.
Opening morning proved fruitful for those hitting the woods as early reporting numbers indicated that a total of 105 bears were taken. As the season marched on, hunters were forced to contend with a bit of rain, which slowed things down a bit, but in the end, the state has reported the harvest of 330 bears at the time of the season’s closing on Sunday.
As per the new policy instituted by the state this year, all bears must be reported through a number of predetermined check stations or by requesting a Wildlife Officer report to an individual hunter.
In a state famous for flip-flopping on bear hunting seasons, it looks as though policy-makers are sticking to their guns this season. The second phase of this year’s bear hunt is slated for December 9th and allows hunters to hunt with shotguns.
At the moment, the harvest rate sits at 13.6% and is what wildlife officials base the probability of later hunts on. In the case of the December shotgun season, officials can extend the scheduled 6-day hunt if the harvest rate remains below 20%. As per the state’s bear management plan, the hunt must be stopped the moment that rate hits 30%.
While there are many who continue to oppose the state’s bear hunt, it’s tough to argue with such a common sense approach to bear management. Those who oppose the hunt remain vigilant in convincing people that bear education does more than enough to manage numbers, but in a state with such a large population of bears, the right answer likely lies somewhere between controlled hunts and public education.
Time will tell how effective that combination proves to be.
