Black bear hunting in New Jersey? Yep, it is likely
3 Jan
Fred J. Aun, writing in The Star-Ledger, states the obvious: The election of Republican Chris Christie as governor makes a bear hunt a lot more likely. Gov. Jon Corzine opposed the hunt, and Christie seems a lot more conciliatory toward hunters. Aun says a restored bear hunt “would be a big deal mainly because the bear hunt, more than any other issue, brought to the fore the divide in New Jersey between pro-hunting-and-fishing wildlife conservationists and the anti-hunting (and, sometimes, anti-fishing) animal-rights contingent.”
But hold on a minute here… Is this really an accurate portrayal of things? That the hunters are “wildlife conservationists” and those against bear hunting are simply an “animal-rights contingent”? The return of bears to New Jersey is an amazing story, and it didn’t happen because of hunting; it happened, in part, because of a lack of hunting. Sure, the story is far more complex than that, but plenty of people, myself included, remain wary of the idea of a bear hunt in New Jersey. And being wary of a bear hunt doesn’t mean we’re part of any anti-hunting contingent.
