In New Jersey, your property is not your property

Private property rights are at the core of our republic and most civilized, advanced societies. In New Jersey, not so much.

A Democratic assemblywoman from Bergen County has written a bill that would require a landowner to get permission from his neighbors to hunt on his/her OWN land! As Joe Biden would say, "no joke".

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The law would require the landowner to “provide written notice to and obtain written confirmation from the owners and occupants of adjacent properties prior to any hunting activities,” according to OutdoorLife magazine.

Dennis Malloy, Townsquare Media

That written notice must include the date, time, and length of the proposed hunt, and it must be delivered to neighboring properties at least 24 hours in advance of any hunting activities. This would include hunting with a bow and arrow as well.

Once again, ON YOUR OWN LAND.

I'm sure some constituent who just moved from the city or doesn't like the sound of guns pestered the assemblywoman to "do something" about the horrible brutes that hunt near them.

This happens all the time with people who move out of densely populated spaces into rural suburbs and complain about the things that people do in those kinds of areas.

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Those people should shut up and go back to your crowded city/town/suburb with a convenience store every 200 yards and no one wearing camo at your local market. And certainly, nobody is killing animals and shooting guns in your neighborhood.

Sometimes as a legislator, it's best to tell their whiny constituents to "just deal with it" if no one is getting hurt and give them a pocket copy of the Constitution for stopping by.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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The bass are biting in New Jersey fresh waters

Starting in mid to late May the largemouth bass started biting on my favorite lake. I finally got a chance to get out and see how good the fishing is this year and it didn't take long to catch. I got two bass in the first 10 minutes on the lake. We used to fish exclusively with live bait, either worms, nightcrawlers (the bigger worms), or minnows. That got too easy and it's not what "real" fishermen do.

It's more of a sport if you fool the fish into biting your hook with the right lure and the proper presentation. You have to figure out what they would be feeding on that time of year, pick a lure that resembles that and finesse it in a way that makes it look enticing to the fish. To most people, this is a stupid waste of time, but to those of us who caught the fishing bug as a kid or an adult, it's almost addictive. OK, it is addictive.

Most people look at a body of water such as a pond, lake, river, or stream and admire it for its natural beauty. Fishermen try to figure out what kind of fish are below the surface and what would be the best spot to catch them. If you have small kids and you know how to fish, you can create amazing memories and give a great lesson on nature. My dad and my uncles did that for me and those of some of the best memories of my childhood.

There are so many different kinds of fish and fishing in New Jersey's fresh waters. We usually think of fishing at the Jersey Shore, but there are plenty of fishing opportunities not far from where you live. Make sure you know a few simple rules and ask a local tackle shop for some good advice on what to buy and where to go, and you're good to go. It's a great way to enjoy the diversity of landscapes we have here and challenge yourself a little.

I challenged myself for the first time this season to try and catch a few bass on Thursday afternoon right before the rain and thunderstorms and had success right away in one of my favorite fishing holes in Medford.