S687 - Since 2003, New Jersey's six unnecessary bear hunts, or, more accurately, bait and shoots, have claimed the lives of 2,230 bears. None was spared: Cubs, yearlings, fathers, and mothers fell before a small army of shooters. Many were killed near bait.  Sassy, a shy black bear who lived in Wawayanda State Park, would frequently appear at the edge of the forest, showing her cubs to her many human admirers.  Everyone who knew Sassy loved her. Sassy neither raided garbage cans nor approached humans. The two species coexisted, peacefully.  

On December 8, 2011, all of that came to a violent and senseless end. During the bear hunt, a shooter stalked and killed Sassy.   Sassy's human neighbors heard the gun shots. On a hunter website, the grinning shooter posed over Sassy's body.

In the hunters' own words:

"My buddy and I each got our bears last season (2005 New Jersey hunt) within 1/2 hour of each other. I was sitting on an old rock wall (ain‚t there a lot of them in those Northwest Jersey woods?) when momma and two adolescents came strolling in. I took momma (225 lbs) with my Encore slug gun and my buddy took the 120 lb‚er as the other (about 100 lbs) took off running like heck." (Posted on njhunter.com by huntfishNJ, Sept 8, 2006 at 9:09 am).

This is reality of the  State of New Jersey's so-called "black bear management program."

 In 2010, a Mason-Dixon poll showed that 74% of New Jersey registered voters prefer non-lethal solutions. Studies show that proper garbage control and education reduce bear complaints; hunting does not. Throughout western states, governments are requiring use of bear-resistant trash containers. New Jersey remains behind the times. It's time for the New Jersey Legislature to join these governments and adopt modern, non-lethal, and effective solutions.

Please sign our petition, and click here for more information on Bear Smart New Jersey.