In the wilds of the Garden State, where black bears roam in resurgent numbers, a political trap lies waiting.

It’s an issue that has bedeviled New Jersey governors for decades. Both sides claim the moral high ground. The question: How should the most densely populated state in the country manage bear-human relations?

On Monday, Gov. Philip D. Murphy signed an executive order effectively ending the state’s planned 2018 bear hunt on all state-owned lands. It was an attempt to fulfill a campaign pledge to environmental activists.

But those same activists were not exactly thrilled.

“Stopping the hunt on state lands does not stop the hunt,” said Jeff Tittel, the director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "It only changes where the bears get killed. The hunt will continue on other public lands, including county parks, water company lands and private lands. We still need Governor Murphy to keep his commitment to ban the bear hunt completely.”