For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NJ Falls Short on Addressing Non-Lethal Bear Management: Hunt Begins
Trenton, NJ - One week before New Jersey begins its Bear Hunt, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife announced that residents should properly store garbage and remove food sources to avoid attracting bears. Segment A of the 2026 bear hunt begins Monday, October 12th and will continue until October 17th, and Segment B will take place from December 7-12th.
Last year, the state’s first segment of the bear hunt lasted a total of 6 days from October 13th to 16th. Over that time, there were 368 bears killed.
The New Jersey Sierra Club believes the state needs to take a step further in mandating non-lethal bear management policies to reduce nuisance cases, protecting both people and bears.
NJ Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager, Taylor McFarland, made the following statement in response;
“While NJDEP is reminding residents to be bear aware, the state continues to fall short on the most effective tool we have to prevent conflicts: mandating bear-proof garbage containers in areas with a high population of bears. Black bear nuisance cases involving trash are the most common type of bear complaint in New Jersey. Continuing with another hunt without non-lethal management laws is just a band-aid solution. Mandating effective garbage storage policies in areas with high bear populations will remove easy, unsecured food sources from our homes. These simple but proactive steps to safely secure our trash will create a safer environment for our communities and for NJ bears.”
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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 https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.