New Jersey Outdoor Alliance – Game Code Testimony Trenton, NJ – April 28, 2026
Good evening. My name is Anthony Pensabene, and I have been a resident of Howell, New Jersey, for 37 years. My wife and I have long enjoyed the state’s outdoor lifestyle, including hiking, biking, marine fishing, and hunting.
I am here today to offer testimony in my capacity as a Trustee of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA), a nonprofit organization established in 2007. NJOA is a conservation-focused coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen committed to responsible habitat and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to promote the intrinsic value of natural resource conservation—including fishing, hunting, and trapping—among policymakers and opinion leaders. We advocate for legislation, and support its sponsors, that deliver lasting ecological and societal benefits through the sustainable management of New Jersey’s natural resources.
In that capacity, NJOA expresses its support for the proposed 2026–2027 Game Code, except for amendments to the Crossbow specifications which would impose an upper limit on draw weight, bolt length and rail length. It has come to our attention that such amendments would remove many crossbows currently in use, and which have not resulted in any safety issues.
Additionally, NJOA shares the concerns expressed by trappers regarding amendments and omissions in the trapping regulations and requests the Council fix these errors upon adoption.
NJOA has also noted technical errors when the code was reformatted in sections regarding waterfowl hunting, the use of ground blinds during firearm seasons and the hunter orange requirements throughout the deer hunting regulations. NJOA will address these issues in writing during the remaining comment period and urges the Council to fix these errors upon adoption.
NJOA’s expectation is that the proposed Game Code will be properly vetted through the sixty (60) day public comment period and subsequently comprehensively amended to ensure seamless, uninterrupted incorporation into the time-honored New Jersey Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Digests.
We commend the Fish and Game Council for its application of adaptive management principles in advancing necessary updates, including revisions to season dates and bag limits, consolidation of hunting zones, and the introduction of enhanced hunter safety requirements, among others.
We believe the proposed Game Code reflects meaningful, science-based progress, grounded in ongoing research across regulated species and informed by practical, field-based experience. It represents a more precise and responsive framework for wildlife management, building upon more than a century of stewardship of New Jersey’s wildlife resources.
Thank you for your time and consideration