The Murphy administration signed off Tuesday on a new policy to resume bear hunting in New Jersey. The move is a big reversal for the governor, who had pledged to ban the bear hunt when he first campaigned for office. Interactions between people and bears have skyrocketed this year, leading Murphy to rethink his stance, to the praise of hunters and the chagrin of animal rights groups.
But illegal hunting remains an issue. State conservation police Tuesday arrested 22-year-old Matthew Ligus of Ringwood and charged him with four counts of illegally hunting bears after four cubs were found dead in Ringwood State Park over the weekend. Ligus also faces other charges related to the incident, including hunting with a firearm without a firearms license.
