NJ Bear Hunt Begins After Court Rejects Animal Rights Challenge

NEW JERSEY — Black bear hunting season in New Jersey will go ahead, albeit later than originally planned. A New Jersey appeals court judge ruled in the state's favor Tuesday in a legal battle brought by a coalition of animal-welfare groups.

The hunting period will run through Saturday, with check stations open from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday and from 12-7 p.m. for the remainder of that period, according to the state Division of Fish and Wildlife. The season officially ends 30 minutes after Saturday's sunset.

This will mark New Jersey's first bear hunt since late 2020. Gov. Phil Murphy fulfilled a longtime campaign promise with the cancelation of last year's bear hunt, saying the 2020 period would be the last under his administration. But concerns of overpopulation and the state's sharp increase in bear encounters prompted Murphy to reverse course Nov. 10.

Reports of damage and nuisance from bears increased 237 percent between January and October, compared to the same timeframe in 2021, according to state environmental officials.

The New Jersey Fish and Game Council approved the hunt's re-instatement at Nov. 15's meeting, approving a regulated hunt from Dec. 5-10 that would extend the season to Dec. 14-17 if New Jersey didn't reach the 20 percent population-harvest target.

But three animal-advocacy groups — the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, the Humane Society of the United States, and Friends of the Animals — challenged the decision. State appeals court Judge Lisa Rose issued an order Thursday that put the hunt on hold, giving both sides time to submit legal briefs. Read more: NJ Bear Hunt Suspended 'Until Further Notice' As Lawsuit Looms

Rose ruled Tuesday that the animal-rights coalition didn't meet the requirements necessary to extend the emergency stay.

Under the original plan, the hunting period would've begun Monday. If New Jersey doesn't meet harvest goals after sunset Saturday, the state will still rely on the Dec. 14-17 extension period.

The animal-welfare groups argued that the Division of Fish and Wildlife doesn't have an accurate estimate of New Jersey's bear population. The coalition also challenged the legality of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council's emergency rule, which officials adopted Nov. 15 without the usual public-comment period.

The appeals court judge, however, wasn't convinced that the state violated due process for emergency rulings.

"We recognize the significant yet competing public interests underscoring both parties' arguments," Rose wrote. "For example, appellants contend the black bear population will be diminished and hunting accidents could occur. On balance, however, the public interest advanced by respondents is grounded in the protection of the public from the growing bear population and commensurate damage and nuisance incidents."

Nicholas Arrivo, managing attorney for Wildlife at the Humane Society of the United States, claimed the ruling will irreparably harm the state's bear population and "the tenets of transparency and accountability in state government decision-making."

"This is a tragic day for New Jersey’s black bears," Arrivo said in a statement. "The coming days will see them gunned down by the hundreds under the guise of a bogus emergency concocted to prevent experts and the public from scrutinizing the astonishing lack of sound science supporting the state’s decision."