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Black Bears Research Paper

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Black bears are the smallest North American bears however; they are the largest land mammal in New Jersey. Black bears evolved in thick forest and live in mixed hardwood forests, dense swamps and forested wetlands. They naturally like to eat fresh leaves, berries, fruits, nuts, roots, insects, bird eggs and small mammals. Black bears are generally solitary animals, with the exception of a sow and her cubs. They tend to be crepuscular, meaning they are most active shortly before sunrise and again after sunset. Black bears are typically not aggressive and tend to be wary of humans. However, since the early 2000s black bear and human interactions have become more frequent. New Jersey has excellent bear habitat is found primarily within Sussex, Passaic, Warren and Morris counties which are in the northern part of New …show more content…

The New Jersey Fish and Game Council have come up with a management strategy to handle the bear problem but the most effective way those far appears to be hunting the bears. In the early 2000s bear hunting was illegal and many people were against legalizing it again. In order to compromise a bear hunting season was passed which was started in the beginning of December and held concurrently with the state's six-day firearm deer hunting season. “Bear hunting zones include large sections of Morris, Sussex, Warren, and northern Passaic counties, plus smaller areas of Hunterdon, Somerset and Bergen counties. There is a limit of one bear per licensed and registered hunter.” This method of black bear population management was and is still successful. In 2003 and 2005 the success was based on “1) the target harvests were obtained; 2) the seasons were conducted safely with no hunter accidents and without incident of trespassing or other complaints; and 3) biological data on bears, hunter success and hunter participation was

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