New Jersey approves bear hunt

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey’s Fish and Game Council will include a bear hunt in its proposed management policy.

Tuesday’s vote sets the stage for the state’s first black bear hunt in five years.

Former Gov. Jon Corzine had blocked the hunt.

Fish and Game Division Assistant Director Larry Herrighty (HAR’-rih-tee) says all seven members of the council voted in favor of the hunt. The action still needs approval from acting Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin.

Herrighty says the new policy will also include non-lethal methods of controlling the state’s bear populations. It saw a 62 percent rise in Sussex and
Passaic counties between 2002 and 2007.