Severed black bear paw left on anti-hunt activist's lawn in New Jersey

A severed black bear paw has been left on a woman's front lawn in New Jersey.

Cathy McCartney reportedly believes the move was an act of retaliation against her opposition to the state's bear hunt.

According to NBC Philadelphia, there were 267 bears killed in the state's bear hunt this month.

The woman called the bear paw a "veiled threat", and says it won't stop her from working with the Bear Education and Resource Group.

According to NJ.com, since 2010, when the state began holding the annual six-day hunt, the estimated bear population has been reduced from 3,400 to 2,500.

Some say the hunt is needed to thin the population, but critics say there are other nonlethal methods that could be used.

Back in September, a black bear attacked and killed a hiker in a New Jersey nature preserve.

Darsh Patel, 22, a Rutgers University student, was hiking with four friends when the group encountered the bear at the Apshawa Preserve, just 35 miles from Manhattan.

The group became scared and ran in different directions before regrouping to find Darsh missing, reports the NY Post.

They called the police and a search team found his body two hours later.

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