This is horrible - 22 yr old killed by bear in West Milford

Originally Posted by Eskimo

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There is a bear season in New Jersey. It's not until early December because it runs concurrent with the opening of firearm deer season. By then, many of the bears are hibernating, but they still manage to harvest several hundred bears every year.

If they really wanted to reduce the number of bears in New Jersey, they would have a SPRING bear season like some other states do.

Maybe I'm weird, (okay I am) but I actually enjoy the rush of encountering bears when I am fishing. Anybody who fishes the Delaware River in the Water Gap area has probably encountered bears at one time or another.

Here is a pic I took of a bear I encountered one evening in April or May of the year before last. This was on the section of river just upstream from the three-minute light. I suspect he was thirsty and was waiting for me to leave so he could come down the hill for a drink of water.
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Eskimo,

Your post hits home. I started fishing the area you mentioned this year after many years of being away from the river. Last week I noticed droppings on the river which had to be a bear, all berries and too large to be anything else. When I fish that stretch, I fish along the rivers edge but on the way back I typically will walk up to the path which parallels the road to walk back to my car which is parked next to the three minute light. Every time I walk that path I think nothing other than this must be prime bear territory which I know it is. As I said in my earlier post, it's a risk I take fishing that stretch. i wouldn't suggest all bears in the Water Gap area be hunted down because as I said I'm infringing on their domain and it is what it is. If there's any area where bears have moved into a populated area I would take a different position but when people decide to spend their leisure time in the wilderness there are risks associated with that choice. I don't agree that killing every bear that calls the woods it's home is the solution.

Just for what it's worth which is what actually got me started thinking about bears along that stretch was when I started fishing there around June, there were hundreds if not thousands of dead shad on the river bank from the shad run. The stench was very strong and if there were any bears in the area I assume they would be down at the river after dark for a free meal. I'm sure they are. Absolutely something to think about after reading this thread. Probably won't be fishing into dark there anymore. Walleyes and small mouths just aren't worth the risk!

Dakota