AmmoLand.com

NJ Bear Hunting Permit Application Period Open Until October 30

Bear Hunter Becky Brensinger

New Jersey Fish and Game

Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds hunters that the black bear permit lottery application period is now open and closes on October 30.

Applicants must have a current, valid NJ firearm hunting license to apply. Hunters who have not yet completed a Bear Hunting Education Seminar can apply for a permit but must have completed a seminar in order to claim an awarded permit or purchase an over-the-counter leftover permit.

For Bear Hunting Education Seminar information visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2010/bearseminarinfo.htm .

Application for permits can be made online at http://www.wildlifelicense.com/nj/ or at license agents. There is a $2.00 non-refundable permit application processing fee. Applications for all permits can be reviewed, and edited if wanted, on the license website. Once the permit application period closes the application cannot be changed. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that the application was made for the correct area.

The award notification and permit pickup period for black bear permits begins the week of November 15, 2010. Black bear permits awarded in the lottery will be held in reserve until the end of the season, December 11, 2010. Over-the-counter issuance of leftover permits begins on Monday, November 22 at 10:00 a.m. and will continue until the season ends or the permit quota is reached.

All permit issuances are final, with no exceptions.

For more information on the permit application and over-the-counter issuing process visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2010/lottery_info10.htm on the division’s website. For information on the bear season, as well as a zone map and descriptions, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bearseas10.htm , also on the division’s site.

Filed under: Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »

Bears Persist in Pursuit of Garbage in Rattlesnake Neighborhood Montana

Montana Bear Conflicts

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

MALTA, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) captured another garbage-conditioned black bear this week between Jackson and Van Buren Streets in Missoula’s Rattlesnake neighborhood.

This bear is one of an estimated five bears that FWP biologists say are being very persistent in their pursuit of garbage.

“There are a handful of bears right now that are attempting to enter garages and other buildings in their quest for food,” FWP Bear Management Specialist, James Jonkel, says. “These bears have tasted the garbage food reward enough that they are now going above and beyond to get more.”

Biologists captured the latest bear early Wednesday morning in a trap outside of a garage that the bear had broken into the night before. Because the bear had a prior history of problems with garbage and property damage and had already been relocated once, FWP euthanized the bear this week.

FWP first darted the bear in mid-September while it was feeding on a pile of garbage in Greenough Park. Biologists gave the bear an identifying ear tag and relocated it to a remote drainage in the upper Clark Fork east of Missoula, hoping it would stay focused on natural food sources and out of trouble. Instead, the bear was back to the Rattlesnake within the week and began getting into more trouble with neighborhood garbage.

Although relocation’s can work, Jonkel says, it is not unusual to see a bear return and continue getting into trouble. Bears that become conditioned to easy neighborhood food sources tend to become bolder and more aggressive towards humans, and often there is no alternative but to relocate or euthanize the offender.

“Once bears get that first taste of garbage they can be hooked on these tasty, easy treats,” Jonkel says. “Bears will often travel miles to get back to a garbage can, so the key is keeping a bear from getting that first taste; it can make all the difference in preventing bear problems and aggressive behavior.”

In recent weeks FWP has responded to numerous reports of bears in neighborhoods. Most bears are just feeding on fruit trees and moving on, but a group of bears have gotten a feel for the taste of garbage and are now exhibiting unacceptable behavior.

“Most residents have really been doing their part to keep garbage and other attractants put away,” Jonkel says. “We just have a few areas where garbage cans are staying out all week, and a few really persistent bears are getting bolder when presented with a temptation.”

The Missoula City Council adopted garbage rules and companion “bear buffer zones” to address some of these temptations. People who live in the Rattlesnake and other established buffer zones around Missoula need to keep their garbage in bear-resistant containers or enclosures or wait until at least 5 a.m. to put their regular trash cans out and pull them back inside by 9 p.m.

“Everyone should be diligent with keeping garbage and other attractants put away,” Jonkel says. “The best solution to bear problems is prevention.”

Fruit trees are also a major bear attractant right now, Jonkel says, and homeowners should harvest fruit as soon as it ripens.

Contact FWP at 406-542-5500 to learn more about how to minimize backyard bear attractants and what bear deterrent systems, such as bear-resistant garbage cans or electric fence kits, may be needed to keep attractants off-limits.

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland No Comments »