New Jersey Anti's Go After Bear Hunting Despite two successful and safe hunts in the Garden State in the last three years, both endorsed by professional wildlife managers to reduce the state’s burgeoning black bear population, anti-hunting forces have generated a bill, A.B. 525, that would ban bear hunting and remove the authority of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Game Council to regulate bear hunting. “For more than 10 years, antis have been trying to pass legislation similar to Assembly Bill 525 to eliminate hunting as a bear management tool,” said Tony Celebrezze, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of state services. A.B. 525 awaits a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Environment and Solid Waste.