NJ Bear hunt open
The hunt is effective immediately check this link for details.
https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/bears/bear-hunting-season-information/
Fishmaker01Wabbit season
Duck season
Wabbit season
Duck season
Wear your orange and make sure you know what you're aiming at before you shoot.
only one truth I think it’s a good thing to cull the Bears, there are just too many for this many people.
Hopefully, the remaining Bears game is very healthy fear of people, so that we can remain together, apart, in the future.
Babbit I don't think there will be any bears games if we take out half their roster. Sorry couldn't resist.
Yesimpc I know that a joke Yesimpc but there will be an opposite effect. The bear’s “league” will get stronger. The fittest (in this case bears that have a healthy fear of people) will survive and thrive. The games will get better :)
The bears that cause problems are the ones that have gotten used to raiding garbage cans, spending afternoons on folks' porches, and eating their chihuahuas. But those bears are going to survive the hunt, since you can't hunt close to houses. The bears that are going to get shot are the ones that live deep in the woods and don't bother anybody. What am I missing?
Jim Beckman
James Beckman That presupposes that bears have figured out where the hunters are......
Black bears can range anywhere from 15 to 80 square miles.
I am on a bear highway and I am pretty sure their home is over a mile away, or more.
"since you can't hunt close to houses"
Tell that to the drunken clowns in the tract of woods directly behind the townhouses where I live.
Must have been about a dozen absolute morons out there wearing their orange, hooting and hollering, firing 2 shots indiscriminately at nothing in particular.
It's been a long time since I wore the orange myself, a real long time. I have never encountered a bigger bunch of dangerous fools than the ones that were out there on day 1 of the bear hunt. I stood off to the side and out of their sight as I observed them. I couldn't believe how close they were to our townhouse development.
I would bet my bottom dollar that they were smashed by the way they were carrying on, and I was livid. I came very close to shouting out at them, but in their condition, I didn't want to risk getting shot myself.
The cops need to patrol residential areas that have nearby woods, these dangerous clowns need to be stopped.
Only one truth, I hope you called the police. What townhouse complex was this? Wasn’t there an incident a few years ago of someone getting hurt while illegally bow hunting right outside countryside apartments in town?
Kat illegally bow hunting
Message for you, Sir. Haha.
for those who watched Monty Python.
dodgebaal I'm guessing you live over by W Valley view. Those guys in orange were probably deer hunters not bear. They were probably making noise and being loud intentionally. Moves the deer to the actual hunters down the way. People have been doing that out here for generations.
@justpassinthru,
Been here 17 years, never seen or heard a single hunter back there, let alone a dozen or so at one time.
Yeah, I'm more than familiar how deer hunting works. Moving deer is one thing, these idiots were firing shots and not behaving in a manner customary to the usual protocols.
I was there. I know how drunk people behave, these guys were drunk.
If they do it again, I'll be sure to contact the cops just down the road.
@ Only one truth.
Did you call the police? Or fish and game? If you knew they were drunk and shooting at nothing and being irresponsible And being too close to homes. What responsible act did you do besides coming on here and write about it. Irresponsible hunters like that is why hunters get looked down upon and need people to make a call instead of just writing about to people that can’t do a thing about it.
Shady They were pushing deer to standers. You only need to be 450 feet from a house to fire a shotgun. If they were closer than that then you should be calling the cops because that is illegal. As far as bear hunting, if they are allowing bow hunting then as long as you are 150 feet away from a neighbors house or structure, you can shoot them in your own yard.
Metsman Yeah, I always want to call the cops to make guys with guns feel bad. What could go wrong with that?
I used to live in the “real” country and they’re drinking the night before…. One guy brought a goat in to be weighed…
I had two approaches. One was to go up and ask kindly. The other was to stand on a ridge above with my guns glaring down at them. Both worked fine.
I suggest just asking them. Most hunt the same place every year and they don’t want to disturb you either.
@Shady
First off, I did both, so take your holier than though virtue signaling garbage someplace else.
And to make CERTAIN that the police knew about it, I went to them physically, not over the phone, not long after I posted my message. Does that meet your high-end standards for taking action???
My post wasn't because I was expecting anybody here "do something about it", but to alert them of the possibility that morons like these guys might be coming around behind their homes as well. The last thing I expected was to get attacked by someone like yourself, merely for putting the information out there.
But then I guess when you have nothing better to do, you have to resort to making judgmental comments on Hackettstown Life.
@Metsman,
I know all about hunting, and I know what they were trying to do, but that is irrelevant to the bigger picture here.
450 feet is 150 yards, so yeah, they were well within that range. Right after I posted a few days ago, I did decide to go the police and fill them in. But to be honest, it didn't seem as if they were outraged and ready to take some kind of action about it. This is why I was reluctant to report it in the first place, I just had a feeling they weren't going to go out of their way to check it out.
They basically just thanked me for telling them, but they didn't tell me that they would look into it.
"Yeah, I always want to call the cops to make guys with guns feel bad. What could go wrong with that?"
@Babitt,
Not sure what you are trying to say here. Are we supposed to allow ourselves to be intimidated by guys with guns?
I certainly wasn't going to approach them in that instant, being that they were sloshed. So, this "go up and ask them kindly" approach was off the table. And since I haven't owned a gun for decades now, I certainly wasn't in a position to stand on a ridge and "glare" at them.
As one of my previous posts stated, I've been here for 17 years, this was the first time I EVER saw any hunters coming through. But maybe that's because previous hunters weren't smashed and acting like a bunch of morons. I'll tell you what though, since the cops don't seem to be too interested in this stuff, maybe I will confront them myself next time, if there is a next time.
After all, I'd only be risking my life.
only one truth,
The group I used to hunt with years ago would have unarmed guys walk into patches of woods where you can't bring a gun to push to standers where you could have a gun. We still had people calling the cops on us. If they're violating the law call the game warden. I'm sure there's a number online. It's their job to enforce hunting laws not the regular police.
I hear you Metsman...,
Every one of these guys had a shotgun and/or a rifle. They all had their orange on, so that was a positive, but they were not just moving deer the way you or I might do it, they were clearly out of sorts and not behaving as a responsible hunter would.
I'm hoping it was a one off, and that they won't come around again. As I said, I've been here over 17 years, and this was the first time I witnessed something like this.
However, if they do rear their drunken heads again, I'll take your advice and give the warden a call. Maybe he can do something where the regular cops won't. Thank you for the advice.
"Did you offer some donuts"
They were drunk, not high.
By the way, I have a sense of humor, and that Python scene is one of my favorites. But this stuff ain't funny at all, you wouldn't want a bunch of drunk guys with guns walking around practically in your back yard.
The game warden number is 1800 WARN DEP. If you went to the police and they didn't seem too interested in looking into the incident any further, it was probably because when you made the complaint was after the fact that you saw this happen. Local PD can and will look into it if you notify them right away. There isn't much they can do when the report comes in a day later.
Wildland @only one truth
Seeing as I was there doing the drive, I can tell you that you’re wrong about multiple things.
1. No one who was pushing the deer out from behind the townhouses was carrying a gun. So that’s BS on your end. All of our guys carrying guns were about 700 yards down the power lines. Much farther than need be from a legal standpoint.
2. No one was drunk, drinking or inebriated in anyway. To make that assumption standing hundreds of feet away is exactly what it is. An assumption.
3. No fish and game laws were violated while we hunted there. We invite you to call the game warden as we have nothing to hide and conduct our hunts well within the parameters of the Law.
4. We’ve been hunting there the same way for over ten years. The fact this is the first time you heard us is probably good timing.
5. We harvested 3 deer out of there. And it took 6 shots. So no, we weren’t “shooting at nothing”.
If you feel like you would like to discuss matters further. Message me and I’ll give you my phone number. Always open to educate those who don’t know what’s going on.
I Like Big Bucks 
JeffersonRepub @Bucks,
I know what I SAW and HEARD, so don't gaslight me bud. There were a bunch of guys not 40 yards from my backyard, and many of them were carrying guns, and behaving like drunken sailors.
I heard shots fired nearby, but none from any in the group directly behind my backyard.
I'm a former hunter myself, so I need no education from you about how things work. But perhaps you could use a refresher course yourself about how to conduct a safe and civil hunt. I certainly wouldn't want any of you accidentally injuring yourselves, or worse, injuring an innocent bystander.
But before I go any further, what was the EXACT location of your drive? I ask because it's possible we aren't even talking about the same incident here, as this was back in December of last year.
Anyway...the bottom line is that SAFETY needs to be at the top of every hunter's agenda. If it isn't, then you can bet the farm that the warden will be getting a call next time around.
Bucks Leave a Reply
To comment on this topic, fill out the form below. If you would like to comment directly to one person, you may click on the envelope next to the posters name if they provided their email.