Kill count up to 246 as New Jersey bear hunt enters fifth day

[Thom Little]

A bear hunt approved by the state to help reduce the number of black bears in New Jersey has killed at least 246 so far, with two days of hunting to go, officials reported Thursday.

The hunt, which led to the arrests Wednesday of four animal rights activists for allegedly interfering with hunters, ends Saturday.

"I think it's been a successful hunt," said Martin McHugh, director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife. "The hunters have been conducting themselves well, the numbers are consistent with what we expected. So far, so good."

According to the state, 16 bears were killed Thursday, 28 Wednesday, 66 Tuesday and 136 on Monday, the opening day of the season.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NJ_BEAR_HUNT_NJOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-08-17-06-54

[Skip Intro]

1. KILL! KILL! KILL!

[SammyBlue]

2. Are the hunters keeping the animals and using the meat or are they

just blowing the bears away? If it's the former, I am a hunter and I see no problem. . .if it's the latter, it's disgusting.

[DainBramaged]

3. I would have rather hoped they could have introduced

some kind of birth control instead of killing them. They were here before us, they will be here after us unless we decide that expansion of our housing developments are more important than a bear's habitat.

We've decimated their hunting grounds and expanded into their domain. We reward complaining citizens by killing the bears because they search for food in our garbage cans.

We used to move them here in NJ when they encroached on our territory. But we've run out of places to put them. Drought and car crashes have caused concern, but the big bad bears threaten us.

I wish they could shoot back, THAT would be sport.


:cry:

[friesianrider]

5. Perfectly stated.

It is always interesting when we decide, as a society, that a species is "overpopulated." By overpopulated, what we really mean is that we have totally destroyed their natural habitats and now that they have nowhere else to go, they are a "danger" to our communities and need to be "reduced". Such polite ways of excusing KILLING. It doesn't take a fucking genius to see that if a species has nowhere to live because we have destroyed their habitats, they will be forced to wander to find food and shelter to survive. I guess I'm missing how this is the fault of the animal, and the fault is of such severity that it warrants killing them.

Perhaps instead of being so quick to kill things, we should exhaust every alternative FIRST. And that includes not destroying THEIR homes and then bitching that they are coming near ours. Maybe if we fought for better zoning, fought against suburban sprawl and the building of McMansions and Wal-Marts, and protected species and their habitats the way we protect stem cells and embroyos in petri dishes, we would be a bit better off.

And I agree. Sitting in a fucking tree for hours on end drenched in animal urine is not a sport, it's stupid. It will ONLY be a sport when the deer/bears/quail/whatever have guns, too.

[doc03]

7. They were here before us but bear, deer and

many other wildlife spices were nearly extinct in the eastern US and were brought back through wildlife management paid for by the purchase of hunting licenses. In Ohio for example deer were virtually extinct in the early 1900's now we have around 500,000. It seems puzzling that many people on DU complain about the human population in the US taking over the wildlife habitat while at the same time they don't understand the need for controlling immigration. Just how do we control the wildlife population without hunting? We kill cattle, hogs, fish and other animals for food and under much less humane conditions.

[LeftyMom]

8. Some of us object to that too, you know. nt

[0rganism]

10. I've never heard bear described as a tasty meat.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's not.

This isn't a food hunt, it's a "population thinning", like our forefathers used to do to the buffalo so the injuns wouldn't get all uppity -- when they weren't "thinning" the injuns directly, of course...

[SammyBlue]

15. It's not. . .you need to have a taste for it (I do not like it)

It's very greasy.

I'm a hunter, I love to hunt. But I use every usable piece of what I kill.

I need more info before I pass judgment on New Jersey. Are the hunters shooting and keeping, or just using their guns as an extention of their penis?

[TX-RAT]

18. It's illegal to leave a game animal in the field.

[Gregorian]

4. I wonder if there's anything that they can do about reducing the number of

Humans.

It seems that bears aren't the problem. They don't drive. Don't start wars. Don't pollute the waterways. I mean, really. Where's the common sense. Why are so many people unconcerned about the big issue.

[friesianrider]

6. Again...perfectly put.

We completely destroy their habitats to build our McMansions and Wal-Marts and shopping centers, then think the solution is killing. They are "overpopulated" and need to be "controlled." Such polite words for what I call killing.

I personally don't understand why - whether it be this issue or a war - so many people's first reaction is violence and killing. It's very, very sad and unfortunate, to say the least.

[Gregorian]

9. Phew. I always cringe after posting something like that.

It just so happens that I have an old apple orchard. And one day I was stretching before going on a bike ride. I just caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. A bear! So I stealhily snuck over for a better look. This big black bear was in an apple tree. It was looking for something to eat. Now I could have been mean and scared him away. After all, it was a lousy year for apples. I live for moments like this. It's what I love. Nature. A rare glimpse. And he looked like an old man in that tree. Big soft feet. Out of place up there. And the reality is, the bears got all of my apples this year. And I'm glad. They need to eat. I went out later and looked at the giant claw marks in the bark. I'm in their world. I'm infringing on them. Well, I could go on and on. But it all goes downhill from here. Haha.

[leesa]

11. Lucky you! What a gift you have been given.

[Occulus]

13. Well, then, answer this:

How do you feel about introducing a natural predator of some sort?

[northzax]

14. they're pretty much the top of the food chain

not a lot of natural predators of bears of any sort.

[Gregorian]

20. Unfortunately, we are going to be the losers.

Every system tends toward equilibrium. Whether it's hn51, or global warming, or any number of pending things, the system will manage equilibrium. But at the rate we're going, there won't be a system.

Bears are so not an issue. It's the spin of the hunters. I live in hunting territory. The same people who say we have too many deer, are the same people who say we need to "keep those unruly Arabs under control".

OK, I'll admit that I've killed a lot of animals. When a coyote hassles my animals, I get wild. That's when the guns come out. But I've learned. And I see a better way. Smarter, not meaner. It just takes brains. That isn't to say that killing is wrong. But things are way way out of perspective now. And way out of proportion. I don't think anything I say will be heard, nor given the time of day. Everyone is so busy doing what they do. Unfortunately, we can no longer do what is normal. We have to be smart and do what is right. We need to give it a rest. The population must drop to a reasonable level. And that's not even for a modern society. For a modern society, where we produce "unnatural" products, the population must be significantly reduced in order for the planet to be sustainable. But again, noone's going to hear that. It's me, me, me. I want children. I want a house. I want what I want. But it's not just "me". It's me times six billion. And that is what people don't seem to understand. Yet.

[0rganism]

16. Driving, wars and water pollution -- you answered your own question!

Of course, we also have disease, natural disasters, industrial waste, radiation leaks, and the occasional run-in with a larger predator to work with.

It's not all darkness and gloom, though; we can also use birth control and responsible family planning to "thin" our own herd before nature takes over to do it for us.

[TX-RAT]

19. Interesting

(I wonder if there's anything that they can do about reducing the number of Humans.)

Sure there is.
Who do you want to kill first?

[BlueEyedSon]

22. Yes, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement

http://www.vhemt.org/

[leesa]

12. If only every one of these guys/ girls, whatever, would have to do a tour

of duty in Iraq in order to score their animal...recruitment issues solved, kill lust solved, reduction in hunters...everyone a winner?

[saigon68]

17. Been there done that

[PatriotGames]

21. Wow. I didn't realize it was so much.