Jim Gearhart was a hunter — until he saw the light

Jim Gearhart used to be a hunter. Then, he says, he saw the light.

Or perhaps less figuratively — he saw the deer. He'd been a hunter for years. Culturally, it seemed the thing to do.

But when “the deer looked at me, and I looked at the deer, I said, 'I can’t do this,'" Jim says in the latest installment of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here as well on iTunes and Google Play.

The New Jersey bear hunt — which incoming Gov. Phil Murphy plans to put on hold, maybe forever — is among the most controversial yearly programs in New Jersey. And Jim's got mixed feelings on it. After all — we find bears often encroaching on our turf, or from their perspective, bears find us encroaching on theirs.

"It’s interesting that in New Jersey, something like this becomes 10 percent reality dealing with the bear hunt, and 90 percent political," Jim says.

Jim spent a long time reflecting on his past as a hunter, and on the practice overall. He couldn't come up with a good reason for it.

“Life is the most amazing, remarkable thing — any kind of life," Jim says.It’s amazing. And it has to come close to what we used to call sacred."

That's it's just part of what Jim takes on in the latest installment of his podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest. And Email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Subscribe to the Jim Gearhart Show on the NJ 101.5 app to get alerts of new episodes.

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— Townsquare Media staff

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