Vernon's Police Department has undergone bear incident training, Chief Dan Young said. The estimated bear population in the fall of 2020 was at 3,158, the third-highest this century, according to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Category II includes unprotected livestock and hive attacks, provoked dog attack, entry into a campsite, garbage and nuisance. However, there are many more times that officers get dispatched to an area because of a bear sighting. In 2019, state residents reported 169 bear sightings, a year later the number jumped to 349, or 71%, according to Department of Environmental Protection figures. "As bears are reduced and removed, the surviving 'robust bear population' moves into the territories where dense-calorie food is available. Not so fast, claim the pro-hunting groups that were responsible for the first hunting  policy achieved through the courts in 2010. The Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates the black bear population in the province of New Jersey to be over 1,000. Wawa store, gas station approved in Byram. Their legal argument is twofold: The old plan remains in effect until a new one is approved, and the black bear hunt is still in the 2021 game code. There are 600 bears tagged by the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife in New Jersey. “This is going to be, bar none, a top tier issue in this year’s election, count on it,” said Cody McLaughlin, a spokesman for the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance. On August 11, 2015, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council voted 9-0 to accept the Proposed Amendments to the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy and changes to bear hunting regulations. And there have been no population studies of the areas that include eastern Morris County, much of Bergen County and the rest of the state south from Essex and Somerset counties. New Jersey has the densest black bear population … The enforcement numbers provided by the DEP, however, differ. The black bear population in the Skylands region has risen to 50 times what is was two decades ago. 2 INTRODUCTION Objective of proposed New Jersey Fish and Game Council policy: The New Jersey Fish and Game Council issued a report on “Comprehensive Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Management Policy”. As with any wildlife population, the counts are the result of mathematical calculations. The permits allow them to shoot and kill problem bears. Black bears can be found as far south as central Mexico and as far north as northern Alaska and most of Canada. All agree bears will be an issue in November’s gubernatorial election. The concern level does go up if there are children present or the bear is near a park. The area is roughly west of Interstate 287 and north of Interstate 78 and divided into six zones, with hunting allowed in five. Bergen County went from 20 incident reports to 75 and urban Hudson County went from zero in 2019 to five complaints in 2020. The rural North Jersey department recorded 42 bear calls in 2019 and 49 in 2020. Business:Chatterbox sold! Phil Murphy, state officials are chalking up the increase to the state’s coronavirus shutdown and the stay-at-home crowd. The concern level does go up if there are children present or a bear is near a park. Passaic County's overall incidents rose from 114 to 148 during the same time, while Warren County's increased from 142 to 191. Since the 1980s the Garden State's black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range both southward and eastward from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey. Black bears now inhabit most of New Jersey except a few coastal towns along the Delaware Bay, South Jersey and along the Hudson River. There have been bear sightings in all of the state's 21 counties. Category I, the most serious, includes incidents such as agriculture damage, unprovoked dog attacks, human attacks, aggressive behavior, entry and attempted entry to homes and property damage. In the past five years there have been 1,995 bears killed by hunters and of those, 1,547 were in October by bow and arrow. Sightings and nuisance reports about black bears more than doubled in New Jersey from 2019 through 2020. New Jersey has allowed the hunt every December since 2010 and added the bow hunt in 2016. 8. "Once they find an easily accessible food source, like garbage in a housing development, they will lose their wariness of people and may return to the available food source," according to Division of Fish and Wildlife guidance. Category III covers complaints about bird feeders, bears found either dead or injured, a bear in an urban area, simple sightings and vehicle strikes. The Outdoor Wire has received a copy of a detailed study concerning use of birth control to control the New Jersey black bear population. In the 2019 and 220 seasons, Gov. Their range also has increased out from the hills, mountains, and forests of northwestern New Jersey into the south and east. Bear Rating System The vote came during the Council's regular meeting and followed a public comment period and formal public hearing in early June. However, there are many more times that officers get dispatched to an area because of a bear sighting. The Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates the black bear population in the state of New Jersey to be over 1, 000. In 2003, New Jersey allowed its first bear hunt in 30 years. But in other areas there was a dramatic increase. The statewide population is now 20-23,000 birds. “Once they find an easily accessible food source, like garbage in a housing development, they will lose their wariness of people and may return to the available food source,” according to the division’s guidance. ", McLaughlin said the NJOA and other groups are telling the governor: "We told you so.". Table 4. The number in 2010 was pegged at 3,272. It also includes protected livestock kills, rabbit attacks, vehicle or tent entry and protected beehive destruction. They are an integral part of the state's natural heritage and a vital component of healthy ecosystems. The black bear population is turning excessively rapidly while their natural home ground is quickly diminishing. Sussex County, which has always had a black bear population, even when they were almost extirpated in the state, had the most reports in both 2019, with 274, and 2020, with 504. 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