For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie Greger, jackie.greger@sierraclub.org
NJ Needs Bear-Smart Policy to Protect Bears & the Public
This past weekend, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife released the data from the state’s first segment of the bear hunt, which lasted a total of 6 days from October 13th to 16th. Over that time, there were 368 bears killed.
After a brief intermission through November, the season will resume with its second half on Dec. 8-13th, when state wildlife officials permit the use of shotguns. If the harvest rate does not reach 20%, NJ Fish and Wildlife will extend the hunt to Wednesday, December 17 through Saturday, December 20, 2025.
NJ Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager, Taylor McFarland, made the following statement in response to the close of the hunt’s first segment;
“Here we are, once again, another bear hunt in New Jersey. The state’s hunt is an antiquated and inhumane solution to addressing nuisance cases and human-bear conflicts. New Jersey has not tackled the obvious issue of reducing bear nuisance cases, which is better trash management. This will help reduce the number of bear cases wandering into residential areas in search of an easy food source, ultimately minimizing aggressive encounters. We are the problem when we don’t secure our trash, leaving it as a buffet for bears.
“While New Jersey has made some progress in providing bear-proof containers to residents, it is not enough to meet the scale needed. We are one of the most densely populated states in the Nation, where overdevelopment drastically reduces habitat for our black bears. Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature need to allocate more funding to purchase bear-proof containers. The Legislature also needs to move forward with legislation like S765(Johnson)/ A360(Stanley) that requires corrective action when storing any food or garbage that would result in unintentionally feeding bears known to frequent the area.”
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About the New Jersey Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.