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by Roger Kahn
In northern New Jersey there is a growing problem with black bears. The state has been considering allowing a bear hunt. It would require special permits and also require each hunter to attend a seminar. There would be a limited number of permits with limited number of kills per permit.
As you can imagine, this has caused some controversy. The hunters are all for it and the animal lovers are against it.
The government has not committed to anything in regard to the bear hunt. They are listening to arguments from both sides while they weigh the pros and cons.
The animal rights groups say that the problem is caused by people leaving their trash outside where the bears can get at it. I have seen the bears go through garbage cans and have even had it happen in my own yard. To stop this, the state passes a law making it illegal to leave your trash outside. The idea is if the bears can't get an easy meal from your trash, they will stay in the woods and away from our homes. Some towns have even had trash pickups changed to a later time to allow homeowners enough time to put out trash in the morning before the trash collectors arrive.
Now it seems we have a new problem. In the past month or so, I have read about four incidents of bears entering or trying to enter homes. The bears seem to target the kitchen as a point of entry. In a couple cases, there was even food being cooked at the time. Could it be the bears no longer have their easy meals in the trash and decide to enter the home for the missing meals? This can't be. The bears are supposed to stay in the woods and eat berries. Maybe the bears want to move in and share the homes with the owners. They're are probably getting tired of all the rain we are having and want a dry place to sleep.
Don't misunderstand me. I am not saying the law won't work and we should give the bears their buffets back. What I am saying is this will take time to see if it works. While we are waiting, don't cook with your windows open. Don't even think about using that barbecue grill, that will only provide a hot meal for them.
If a bear does approach your home looking to join you for dinner, don't try to defend yourself or your family by causing harm to the bear. That is the job of the division of fish and game.
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