‘Hate to say we told you so’, NJOA slams Governor on spiking black bear issues

Trenton – Sportsmen coalition calls for action on bear season, reopening of state lands for hunters.

The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance on Friday released a statement panning Governor Murphy for letting New Jersey’s bear problem run wild, after the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife released a damning report of severe spikes in bear activity and nuisance complaints in the state.

“Hate to say ‘we told you so’ Governor, but come on. We’ve been saying this would happen for two years and here we are.” said NJOA Vice President Cody McLaughlin, “Anyone with a high school math education and a calculator could have predicted this, but let’s go over the numbers again. In a state where we have the densest population of bears in North America, where bears breed at twice the rate of other state and where 80% of bears survive to adulthood, the Governor took it upon himself to arbitrarily and capriciously shut down 40% of available hunting land, which resulted in a record low bear management harvest. Now the bill has come due, and we’re seeing sightings up 93%, complaints up 40% (with a 15% spike in dangerous category 1 complaints) and overall bear reports up 53%.”

“Congratulations, Governor Murphy,” McLaughlin added, “because this one is on you.”

The Outdoor Alliance, the state’s largest advocacy organization for has led the fight in the state to support the bear season an reinstitute hunting rights on state lands that hunter pay for. They are actively pursuing a lawsuit along with partners at Safari Club International and the Sportsmen’s Alliance to get hunters back on state land that has been delayed with the state Supreme Court due to COVID complications.

About the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance: New Jersey Outdoor Alliance’s mission is “preservation through conservation.” NJOA serves as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to the conservation of natural resources and environmental stewardship that champions the intrinsic value of fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders, policy makers, and the public at-large. To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://njoutdooralliance.org/.