On December 18, the New Jersey Assembly Committee on Appropriations unanimously reported out Assembly Bill 1616, which would authorize the use of tracking dogs to recover lost deer in the Garden State. This bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Co-Chair of the New Jersey Angling and Hunting Conservation Caucus Assemblyman John Burzichelli, and is co-sponsored by several other Caucus members.
Companion legislation in the Senate is also co-sponsored by Caucus Co-Chair Senator Steven Oroho, and passed the Senate unanimously (38-0) in late May. Passage of this legislation would ensure harvested animals are not wasted due to being unrecovered, and would bring New Jersey in line with 17 other states that already permit tracking with dogs to recover deer.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
