[d-back]

Mandatory excerpt rule for NJ.com, so I strongly suggest that interested Freepers should go read the full article. You'll not only see that the bear attack was much more serious than initially reported, but you'll also see that the head of the DEP, Bradley Campbell, covered up the details of the attack. He's the goofball bureacrat who just got spanked by a New Jersey court for lawlessly trying to hold up the bear hunt.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

[d-back]

New Jersey bear hunt ping and bump.

[Alberta's Child]

If my understanding of wildlife is correct, then the motivation for covering up the incident was to avoid having the DEP do what they are supposed to do in this case. If this had been a case of a mother bear protecting her cubs, then it wouldn't have been anything unusual from a wildlife perspective. But when bear cubs show clear signs that they do not have a natural fear of humans, they must be destroyed.

[sandalwood]

One of the bears rubbed its nose on one of the scouts?

He could have ripped the kids' face off, and he rubbed his nose on him?

These are the kinds of bears I want to be attacked by, if I ever have the misfortune of being attacked by a bear!

[Grampa Dave]

Typical left wing Peta Enviral whack coverup of an attack by predators.

The young boys are lucky to be alive. It sounds like the mother bear was training her cubs on how to attack.

Mother Mountain lions do that out here in the west. They and their young panthers will attack and kill large numbers of sheep or goats just for the practice.

[yoe]

I couldn’t open the full article, but my guess is those Scouts had food smells all over them if not on them along with using their clothing to wipe hands after eating and perhaps had been actually baiting the cubs. No perfumed hair shampoo, rinse, flavored lipstick, deodorant or sun-tan oils or screens when camping. No food left in the tent or on the ground or left out anywhere, are good rules to follow.

[LizardQueen]

This is one of the weirdest bear attack stories I've ever read.

LQ

[EdReform]

Anyone hiking, camping, or living in an area with bears should have at least one canister of bear pepper spray available at all times. I have the following product:

Counter Assault Bear Pepper Spray

[EdReform]

GI Ping

[nmh]

This explains it:

"News of the weekend attack spread quickly throughout Warren and Sussex counties, and the DEP's refusal to release details until last night has led to allegations by the Federation of New Jersey Sportsmen's Clubs that DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell has been suppressing information on clashes between bears and humans."

"Campbell had tried to thwart a bear hunt for next month that was authorized by the independent state Fish and Game Council. However, an appeals court ruled Tuesday that Campbell does not have the authority to block the hunt. Campbell is pursuing another legal battle to close state lands to the six-day bruin hunt, scheduled to begin Dec. 6."

[Nachum]

Oh, for a moment I thought you were referring to the Chicago Bears.

Never mind.

[Born to Conserve]

If you act like prey, they'll act like predators. If you act like predators, they'll act like prey.

If a black bear is bothering you, act aggressively.

And don't feed wild animals (can't believe this needs to be said).

Those cubs have learned from these wussie scouts that people are prey, now the bears have to be destroyed.

[Pearls Before Swine]

What kind of mother stands around and lets her cubs behave like this? It reminds me of the scene near the end of Jurassic Park II, where the mother Tyrannosaurus is showing her little dino how to eat the jerky bad guy in the hold of the boat.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

I live in Blairstown, and I have a bear that roams behind my house. I have never had a problem with the bear.

[zoobee]

WHy would the kids get this close to them? Sue the parents for the kids 4 scratches.

[MeekOneGOP]

Bear attack takes on greater menace;
Teens pawed and bitten by prowling cub

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[dead]

I used to spend a week or two each summer at Boy Scout camp in Blairstown.

Never gotten eaten by a bear there though.

[FreedomSurge]

When Bear cubs are outlawed only outlaws will have bear cubs.

[Coleus]

It's just sick that people in NJ and elsewhere would rather see infants being eaten by a bear in the Catskills and boy scouts getting almost mauled to death at Camp rather than have a hunt. It just boggles the mind.  The same for deer hunting, where now with an abundance of deer people are actually getting killed in car accidents with them.

The BSA is getting progressively liberal. Years ago when one received Boys' Life magazine it would be replete with gun, shooting, target shooting and hunting advertisements, today you see nothing at all.  IMO, The handbook has been dumbed down and is full of pictures and charts.

The official BSA Handbook used to have sections about animals, tracking, stalking and requirements for cooking and fire building using only wood with 2 matches to get the fire going, not any more.

Bears Attack Boy Scouts In NJ Park

Pentagon Stops Sponsorship of Boy Scouts

Pentagon Scouts on the FR

[Coleus]

Professor Peter Singer, vegetarian(Culture of Death Alert!)