SCI Helps Ensure New Jersey Bear Hunt Will Proceed Monday
Defeat of Lawsuit Keeps Hunt on Schedule
Washington, D.C. – Safari Club International (SCI) and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (Federation) have again helped successfully defend against a legal challenge aimed at stopping the New Jersey black bear hunt. Today, a State appellate court upheld the decision authorizing the hunt. Barring reversal by the New Jersey Supreme Court, the hunt is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 5, 2011. This will be the first time in recent history that the State will be able to hold a hunt for two consecutive years. SCI and the Federation applaud the efforts of the New Jersey state wildlife professionals and decision-makers.
Anti-hunting groups, the Animal Protection League of New Jersey and the Bear Education and Research Group, filed a lawsuit in November 2010 in an emergency attempt to stop the 2010 black bear hunt. SCI and the Federation intervened in the case at that time and helped defeat that emergency motion to halt that hunt. The hunt that followed was very successful, with close to 600 bears harvested without incident. The parties have been litigating the case since then.
Today, the New Jersey Appellate Court again ruled in the State’s, SCI’s and the Federation’s favor, paving the way for the 2011 hunt to proceed as scheduled. SCI expects the anti-hunting groups to appeal their loss to the New Jersey Supreme Court. If they do, SCI and the Federation will take their defense of the hunt to the State’s highest court. SCI and the Federation hope that the Supreme Court will agree with the Appellate Court, as it did in 2010.
“This is a tremendous win for hunters and advocates of sustainable-use conservation everywhere,” said SCI President Kevin Anderson. “New Jersey’s black bear population has grown so that a hunt is not only sustainable, but necessary to help reduce bear complaints. This opinion acknowledges that, by participating in this hunt, hunters will play an invaluable role in the conservation and the management of the species.”
In upholding the decision to hold a hunt, the Court relied on several arguments advanced by SCI and the Federation. Importantly, the Court acknowledged that the State is not limited to authorizing a hunt only as a “last resort” to address concerns about the population size or bear complaints. Instead, the Court explained, based on SCI’s argument, that “the Council’s enabling statutes permit it to consider ‘public recreation’ when determining if and when game animals may be hunted.” The Court also relied on SCI’s brief in rejecting the Bear Groups’ argument that previous bear hunts actually increased the state’s bear population, finding that this theory was nothing but “speculation.”
“Safari Club is the leader in protecting hunting and sustainable-use conservation, in New Jersey, the United States, and throughout the world. Our legal team, along with attorneys for the State, systematically refuted the arguments in this baseless lawsuit. We have supported bear hunts in New Jersey since 2003. We will continue to remain in the forefront on this important issue, especially as other states, such as Nevada and Florida, consider allowing bear hunts,” concluded Anderson.
SCI-First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 190 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.safariclub.org or call (800) 711-8315 for more information.
