Heard this afternoon that hunters won in court today. Animal rights tried to get a judge to order "Stop Hunt" on the bear hunt, he refused!!

For anybody going out Monday, Have a good and safe hunt!

I'm going out Monday! can't wait!

Hope you get a nice one, Ron. Are you bow hunting?

This is great news! I have always dreamed of a wilderness bear hunt in New Jersey. Maybe we can hunt in Hudson County Park?

Sorry Widowmaker, I couldn't resist posting what I am sure more than one person was thinking.

AZ,

You don't have to be sorry, didn't you know, New Jersey is not a state, it's a city! Believe me, It's getting way to built up for me. There is some nice tracks of wilderness, but not much, that's why they, (Fish & Game) want's to have the hunt, all the building, no place for the bears to go!

I'll tell you one thing though, we can legally shoot 6 bucks a year. How many places came you do that!

Widow:

I know you hunt you all over the world so you can take the joke.

I was born in Jersey City, NJ, but thankfully my father moved to the Midwest soon after I was born. My uncle, who lives near where I was born, loved to hunt but he was petrified of getting lost. A ten acre farm was a wilderness for him.

But if I had to live in the East, there are plenty of nice places. Boston is expensive and snobby, but just a short drive north puts you in Maine, which is beautiful.

I was in NJ for the first hunt a couple of years ago....I was visiting relatives and just watched the fiasco....glad the hunters won out then as well as now.....do the kids get to hunt in this one?

AnotherAZWriter,

I was born in Newark but was a baby when my folks moved south. When I visit NJ, every so often, I appreciate Alaska even more.

Joe

Ovis

I can't imagine living in Alaska and coming back to NJ! Newark to top it off, that's like the pits of the state, besides Camden. You know, I always said, the worst thing about coming back from a hunt, getting off the plane and seeing that big sign"Welcome to Newark!" Very depressing to say the least.

And yes, kids 10 or older can hunt bear. 10 to 13 they must be with an adult. But they can hunt.

AZ, are you crazy wanting to live in Boston! There's alot better places then that, Vermont, New Hampshere.

Hey Widow:

Just landed in Duluth...it is about a billion below zero right now. JC is looking pretty nice right now.

AP New Jersey

Bear hunt begins with at least 54 kills, tempers high


By JOHN CURRAN
Associated Press Writer

December 5, 2005, 6:16 PM EST


VERNON, N.J. -- Braving freezing cold and irate animal rights activists, camouflage-clad bear hunters hit the fields and forests here Monday, taking aim at a species whose recovery in New Jersey has gone from conservation success to emerging public safety threat.

Black bears have rebounded from near-extinction to become familiar sights across the nation's most densely populated state _ rummaging through trash, menacing people and scampering through yards. With residents' complaints mounting, New Jersey's second bear hunt in 35 years was approved as a way to thin their ranks.


"Bears are beautiful animals, but they've got to be controlled," said Joe Giunta, 59, of Frankford Township, who bagged one Monday morning.

State officials said 54 bears were reported killed as of 2:30 p.m. The total number of bears killed during each day of the six-day hunt will not be available until the following day.

The hunt, restricted to a vast swath of northwestern New Jersey and open to 4,434 hunters with permits, went off as scheduled after surviving a late court challenge Friday.

"It's an emotional issue," said Martin McHugh, director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, which estimates the bear population at between 1,600 and 3,200. Bears have been spotted in each of New Jersey's 21 counties, but are concentrated in the area of the state where the hunt was taking place.

About a dozen hunt opponents gathered at a weigh station at Wawayanda State Park on Monday, confronting hunters and forming "bear rescue teams" with plans to tend to wounded bears and follow hunters in what they said was a mission of mercy.

"Today, for us, is a very sad day," said Lynda Smith, president of Bear Education and Resource Group, one of two groups that unsuccessfully sued to delay the hunt. "They're here to kill them, we're here to help them."

Proponents rejected arguments that bear-proof trash cans and "aversive conditioning" _ such as using fireworks to scare bears away from populated areas _ would work better than a hunt.

"No matter where they eat, they're still going to reproduce," said Andy Romanelli, 36, of Dumont. "The facts are the facts. They're overpopulated."

Eager to get an early start, hunters in trucks lined up at the eastern exit to the park, waiting for the gate to be opened so they could drive in. With snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens, they ventured into the woods _ packing shotguns or muzzleloader rifles, layered clothing, tree stands and provisions for themselves.

Successful hunters had to negotiate a gauntlet of TV news cameras and reporters on their way to the weigh station, where the kills were registered and a wildlife biologist inspected the carcasses.

Giunta and his hunting partner bagged two. Emerging from the weigh station, he stopped briefly to talk to reporters and let photographers shoot pictures of the bears. One's face looked frozen in a half-grimace; the other was lying on its side, gutted.

"This won't go to waste," said Giunta. "It'll get eaten. And if I can afford it, I'll have someone make it into a rug."

Some hunters had no luck.

"I saw more hunters than anything, that's why I got frustrated and came out," said Chris Strabone, 28, of Park Ridge, a police officer who took the week off so he could hunt.

While the hunt was scheduled to last through nightfall Saturday, the state could call it off if it is satisfied that enough bears have been killed. In the last hunt, two years ago, 328 bears were killed.

"It's a slaughter of innocent black bears," said Ken Vassilatos, 47, of Pine Bush, N.Y., who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of a cub and a female bear, both with tears in their eyes. Many protesters wore bright orange shirts, the same color required to be worn by hunters.

Hunt opponent Ann Ilkiw planned to accompany Vassilatos into the woods to help the animals.

"We'll carry them out if we have to. We'll take pictures and make sure people see the horror of it," Ilkiw said.

The bear hunt critics plan a formal protest Saturday, but they had no permit for one Monday, so state park police Lt. Kelly Gottheiner told them to put the signs _ which read "Stop the Innocent Bear Slaughter" and "Sportsmen?? Cub Killers!" _ away.

The opponents complied, but then complained about a sign on a hunter's truck that read "Support the Bear Hunt" and pulled it off the vehicle, drawing a rebuke from the officer.

If any of those "Bear Rescue Teams" actually run upon a wounded bear and "carry" it out. There going to be in for a very big and viscous surprise.
I don't know how it is there, but in NC. Well here it is straight from the Wildlife Commissions Website:

In North Carolina, it is unlawful for a person to interfere intentionally with the lawful taking of wildlife resources or to drive, harass, or intentionally disturb any wildlife resources for the purpose of disrupting the lawful taking of wildlife resources on public or private property. NOTE: This law does not apply to activity by a person on land he owns or leases or to a person who incidentally interferes with the taking of wildlife resources while using the land for other lawful activity such as agriculture, mining, or recreation.

Violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable for a first conviction by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, by imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or by both and punishable for a second or subsequent conviction by a fine left to the discretion of the court. (North Carolina General Statute 295)

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
About a dozen hunt opponents gathered at a weigh station at Wawayanda State Park on Monday, confronting hunters and forming "bear rescue teams" with plans to tend to wounded bears and follow hunters in what they said was a mission of mercy.

I guess some kind hearted hunters should form a Bear Rescue Team Rescue Team to save these idiots the first time they try to put a band aid on a wounded bear.

I would really like to go with one of these teams on there mission. Sit there and watch them get their asses chewed up by one of those poor bears!

Good news - There may be plenty of anti-bear hunt activities occurring, but few will make the news.

Bad news - Unfortunately, it will take poor behavior on JUST ONE hunter's part to make the headlines on this issue.

Keep your cool and remember that if you get into a situation that they WANT YOU to get heated and confrontational. Instead, take out pen and paper and begin writing down everything so you have good info to file a complaint.

Enjoy yourselves, be safe and happy hunting.

ericy

agreed! I do hope they will have nothing to report! Let's see that all hunters do what they have to, shoot straight and take a nice trophy home

The shit that hit the newspaper two years ago! Wow! I wonder just how much of it was true!

THIS STORY WAS IN A NEWSPAPER DURING THE WEEK LONG HUNT:

>>>>>A small bear "wounded by a hunters bullet" crawled out to a road, as if asking for help, with blood all over it's little body, and laid there while cars stopped, watched in horror, crying, as the lttle thing finally claiming it's last breath!<<<<<

Ok, the kicker of the story, the bear was hit by a car!! no bullet! And it wasn't even in a hunting area!!!!

But no change in the story was ever printed!!!

Heard on the news last night an 11 year old boy shot a bear!! The news station interviewed him and the first thing he told them "on TV" was he was going to eat the meat then mount the bear!! I didn't hear the broadcast but I understand a few hunters were interviewed and handled themselves excellent!!

Great going guys!!!!

Don't those east coast bears hibernate??? When I lived in N.MN. by now all bears were down for the count til spring.

Elkman,

They don't really go into that deep sleep that the bears in areas that are colder, mountian, longer winter. Around here they will bed down but get up and move around a half a dozen times or more during the winter. Our winters are usually not that bad, if the weather does get bad it's only for a short time.

As of tonight 136 bears have been taken the first 2 days, I'm going out tomorrow for a half a day or so.

Here are some statistics for PA. In 2004 a survey showed that there were 13,000-14,000 bears in PA. The average male bear taken was 200 lbs.Top weights taken in the last few years have been over 800 lbs.A big difference between average and maximum !!!....Hunters harvested 4,123 bear in PA this season ! A record.

Whenever I read/hear about anti-hunters and their thoughts on what hunters are and what we do it makes me sick for several reasons. They try to make us look like our only goal is to wound and leave game to die a slow horrible death and make no attempt to recover it.
If they want to see carnage watch a pack of their beloved wolves chase down and tear apart and animal while it's still alive. I'm sorry but hunting is just natures way weather your 2 legged or 4.

They protest, yell and obstruct hunters just trying to keep to themselves and enjoy the season, but if one hunter in a thousand comes back at them with a temper every news station in the country would air it and show what assholes hunters are.

They build their suburbs and golf courses in "natural setting" areas and blame hunting for for increased preasure on wildlife, not the 300 acres of habitat cleared so Mr. Protester could have yet another place to kick around a golfball.

And finnaly, when did the people in North america become such pussy assed fagots. It seems that too many men in the world have forgotten how to be men.

Sorry, I don't usually rant on here but these animal rights protesters really get me steamed.

NBHunter

You said it!

I can't agree more, except for one thing, it's not just North America. Europe, Africa, NZ, OZ they have those, how did you put it, "Pussy assed fagots"

I'm damn proud to be a hunter!!

You can kind of understand such idiots living in the east, home of the ultra liberal. But when i hear of this crap from places like Canada,or colorado, and even Alaska, it blows me away.Tree huggin has become a favorite past time for many wilderness areas, and it is truly alarming.

The hilarious thing is these "bear recovery" retards couldnt find their own ass, let alone a wounded or un wounded bear. But it would be cool if they did find one

It is generally illegal to interfere with a legal hunt. The prosecutors ought to apply RICO laws on these anti-hunting organizations.

They did arrest a hand full of protesters, "interfering with a legal hunt" as they put it! They will get a night in jail and a slap on the wrist, BS!!!!


The 6 day hunt ended on Saturday, a total of 297 bears were taken.