Protestors arrested as N.J. bear hunt comes to a close

[Thom Little]

The last day of the state's controversial black bear hunt was much like the first with hunters heading into the forest in the pre-dawn hours to look for the bruins and crowds of angry protesters who oppose the hunt meeting them as they came out.

The six-day season began last Monday and ends Saturday evening. Hunters have bagged 267 bruins so far, although final tallies will not be available until Saturday's hunt is over. State officials say the hunt is needed in order to thin the bears' numbers, but some oppose the hunt, saying the state hasn't done enough curb the bruins' numbers using by other methods.

About 100 protesters, chanting slogans like "Stop killing our bears!" and waving signs that read "Kill the hunt, not the bears," gathered Saturday at Wawayanda State Park. Law enforcement officials restricted the protesters to an area about 150 yards from a check station where hunters brought their dead bears to be weighed and inspected.

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Today, officials estimate the population at 1,600 to 3,200, and bears have been spotted not just in the woody northwest but all over the state. Hunters and state officials say the hunt is needed because bears have been spotted in people's backyards, or breaking into houses and cars.

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