N.J. hunters load up for turkey – NYPOST.com

Ken Moran

The arrival of spring has hunters doing the turkey trot, and first up to dance are hunters from New Jersey.

The spring hunt starts Monday and runs for five weeks. With turkey populations restored statewide, Garden State hunters can enjoy some of the finest turkey hunting on the East Coast. Spring turkey hunting is the fastest growing hunting pursuit in the nation, and it’s easy to see why.

The tranquility of being in the pre-dawn and early-morning forest, coupled with the adrenaline surge caused by turkeys gobbling from the roost and on the ground, provides an exciting and rewarding experience. Youth hunters will get the first chance to harvest a bird during the Special Youth Turkey Hunting Day scheduled for Saturday.

Youth hunters with a Youth License who have obtained a turkey permit may begin their spring season before the opening of the regular season. The statewide wild turkey population is currently estimated at more than 20,000 birds, and the outlook for this spring’s turkey season is good.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via N.J. hunters load up for turkey – NYPOST.com.

Archers OK For Hunting On Sundays – Hunterdon County Democrat

by Hunterdon County Democrat

Saturday May 09, 2009, 9:20 AM

Legislation permitting deer hunting with a bow and arrow on Sundays during deer hunting season was signed into law Monday by Gov. Corzine.

The law allows deer hunting with bow and arrow on Sundays during any bow and arrow hunting season for deer prescribed by the state Fish and Game Code, provided the hunting is only on a state wildlife management area or on private property. It also raises to $50 (from $20) the penalty for a violation of the Sunday hunting rules, such as hunting in prohibited areas.

Two legislators who represent part of the Hunterdon hailed the law.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Archers OK For Hunting On Sundays -.

Bear incidents growing in New Jersey | MyCentralJersey.com

By Abbott Koloff • Gannett New Jersey

Authorities have killed at least three black bears in Morris County this year, as bear encounters have increased dramatically.

Bears have killed rabbits and chickens in Mount Arlington. One bear was killed by state officials after it aggressively approached a Rockaway Township landscaper, and another was killed in Parsippany when it kept coming back to a park where children were picnicking.

Then there was the bear that approached a sunbathing homeowner in Kinnelon but only to lick her elbow.

The latest statistics from the state Department of Environmental Protection, obtained by the Daily Record this past week, show bear damage and nuisance incidents have gone up by 84 percent within the past year. Almost all of those incidents are in the northwestern part of the state.

The most dangerous incidents, those involving home entries, aggressive behavior and significant property damage, have more than doubled. And the state recorded 50 of those types of incidents within the past month, a four-fold increase from the same period last year. Full Story

Bear incidents growing in New Jersey | mycentraljersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com.