New Jersey BHA is pleased that legal challenges to New Jersey’s 2022 bear hunt have been nullified, the hunt was held and sportsmen and women were able to pursue bears this season.
There is still work to be done to secure scientific bear management in our state, including the hunting of bears, into the future.
One thing hunters can do right now is let NJ DEP know how we feel about the Bear Management Plan and some of the specific regs — including baiting rules and bear minimum size — by filling out an online survey posted by NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife.
Click Here to Participate in the Survey
Public Hearing January 18
Your survey comments will advise decision makers as will testimony at a public hearing planned for January 18 in Trenton on a proposal by the New Jersey Fish and Game Council to carry into the future its 2022 Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, including specific hunting regulations adopted as part of the Emergency Rule that governed the 2022 bear hunt.
It is critically important that hunters and our allies attend the meeting in person to testify. Anti-hunters have outnumbered us in the past at public hearings. We need to show up and speak up for scientific wildlife management and our hunting traditions.
The Public Hearing will be held:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 1:00 to 8:00 PM (EDT)
NJ State Museum Auditorium
205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625
In addition to the survey and public hearing, NJ DEP is accepting written comments in advance of the hearing.
Click Here to submit written comments on the proposal before close of business February 3.
Click Here to Read the Fish and Game Council’s Proposal.
Click Here for the Notice of Rule Proposal document.
Comments can also be submitted on paper to:
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
2022 CBBMP and Game Code Amendment Comments
NJDEP Fish and Wildlife
Mail Code 501-03
P.O. Box 420
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420
Our Garden State BHA leaders and volunteers are tracking the issue. Sign-up here for our chapter newsletter to stay tuned for future developments on bear hunting. We will need your voice!
Board of Directors
New Jersey Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
About New Jersey BHA
We are an informed and engaged grassroots group of hunters and anglers who value the challenge, peace and solitude that comes from a backcountry experience. We promote, conserve and improve our diverse public lands and stand up for these wild places.