Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100

Hunting Accident Consequence of Christie Administration Law

The DEP has put out misinformation about the sad incident of a dog being killed by a hunter in Hunterdon County. An Alaskan Shepherd, Tonka was shot last week after the dog ran after a deer in the woods adjacent to the homeowner’s property. The bow-hunter killed the dog, but this incident could have been prevented if it wasn’t for Governor Christie pushing a new law to reduce the buffer for hunters to hunt closer to homes in 2010. This was part of his attempt to take care of the hunting lobby after their endorsement. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:

“DEP isn’t telling the whole truth about the hunter shooting a dog in Hunterdon County. What they aren’t saying is that this happened as a result of the law that Governor pushed through to change the hunting buffer around homes. New Jersey had a law since 1946 to have a 450 ft. buffer from hunting near residences, but it was arbitrarily changed under the Christie Administration. We opposed the safety zone change to 150 ft. and there was a lot of opposition to this bill from homeowners to elected officials. As the most densely populated state in the nation, with increased development and housing near the woods, we should be expanding, not reducing buffers. We aren’t opposed to hunting, but believe in proper regulations. The Governor only did this because of the endorsement of Outdoor Alliance and the hunting lobby.”

“When the Christie Administration changed the hunting buffer, they eliminated a football field of safety.  It is even more hard to measure and enforce the 150 ft buffer so hunters can come even closer making it more dangerous for families. Instead of making sure homes, pets, and other animals were safe, he put people and other animals at risk. Under the Christie Administration, bow season was also expanded to almost year-round, while they also added coyotes to the hunting list. It didn’t sound like when you read the article, that the hunter tracked down the dog and look to find the owner. It was very lucky that children weren’t with the hunter by this terrible accident. When the Christie Administration changed the law to take care of the hunting lobbying, there are consequences. What happened to this pet dog in Hunterdon County is one of them.”