NJ Bear Hunt May Return As Population Spikes, Encounters Increase

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy vowed that New Jersey's 2020 bear hunt would be the last under his administration. But with the population rising and encounters with the creature tripling, state wildlife officials will consider re-instating the hunt.

New Jersey's last bear hunt occurred in late 2020, making last year the first time the state suspended the annual hunt. But bears have been more troublesome around the state this year. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reported 1,971 bear incidents in 2022 (as of Oct. 21).

The agency reported only 647 of such incidents — which include sightings, damage and nuisance — during that period in 2021. (The NJDEP's bear-activity reports only includes sightings and complaints reported to the agency, not incidents handled without the DEP's assistance.)

New Jersey Fish and Game Council will discuss approving the state's new Comprehensive Bear Management Policy at its next meeting. The meeting — in-person only — will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the New Jersey State Museum's auditorium (205 West State St., Trenton).

Proposed amendments include measures to re-introduce a regulated bear hunt, which would run this season from Dec. 5-10, running concurrently with the six-day firearm season for deer. If the state doesn't reach the 20 percent population-harvest target, officials would extend the season from Dec. 14-17.

Under the proposal, New Jersey would allow hunting on state and private lands with designated bear-hunting zones. The council will also consider additional limitations for a regulated hunt, including prohibitions on the taking of cubs.

Murphy signed an executive order in 2018 — his first year in office — prohibiting the bear hunt on state lands. By 2020, the state fully banned the hunt, with Murphy calling 2020's season "the last bear hunt under my administration." Read more: Gov. Phil Murphy: 2020 Bear Hunt May Be NJ's Last

Hunting advocates throughout the state had warned that canceling the hunt wouldn't be enough to control the population.

Last spring — in the midst of increasing bear sightings and incidents, which included attacks on two people and several dogs killed — administration officials continued supporting nonlethal strategies for managing the population.

The Murphy administration, however, has re-evaluated.

"From the data we have analyzed to the stories we have heard from families across the state," Murphy said in a statement, "it is clear that New Jersey’s black bear population is growing significantly, and nonlethal bear management strategies alone are not enough to mitigate this trend."

Several Republican lawmakers, who had been vocal against Murphy's decision to suspend the bear hunt, commended the governor for changing course.

"This is something we have been calling on the Governor to do since he signed that executive order in 2018 banning the bear hunt on state property," said Assembly Member Parker Space (R-24). "Bears have no natural predators, and without hunting, the number of bears could continue to multiply unchecked. This was the right call by the administration. They looked at the data and common sense prevailed."

But the New Jersey Sierra Club, an environmental-advocacy organization, said Murphy failed to keep his commitment to stop the bear hunt. The Sierra Club also noted that New Jersey bear sightings also spiked in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions left many working from home and with greater abilities to go outdoors.

State officials reported 1,407 bear incidents in 2020 — nearly double the tallies in 2019 (818) and 2021 (767).

"The NJDEP will be launching a broader Wildlife Management and Public Safety Initiative in addition to the black bear hunt — a pilot management plan advancing non-lethal strategies including trash management," said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "We believe this pilot plan should be conducted before resorting to the bear hunt on state lands."

New Jersey's black bear population is centered in Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren Counties. State officials estimate a population of nearly 3,000 black bears, protecting growth to more than 4,000 in the next two years without population-control measures.

Bear incidents have surged in those counties this year, according to NJDEP data (all annual statistics reflect the year as of Oct. 21):

• Morris County: 103 in 2021, 411 in 2022
• Passaic County: 33 in 2021, 186 in 2022
• Sussex County: 238 in 2021, 701 in 2022
• Warren County: 77 in 2021, 272 in 2022

Most of New Jersey's bear reports this year have not involved violence or property damage. State officials have reported one human attack, 12 attacks on dogs, 52 attacks on protected livestock and 84 incidents involving property damage.

But several incidents have prompted calls for a return of the hunt or a shift in strategy.

A bear attacked a woman May 11 in Lafayette, Sussex County, while she checked her mail. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries to her right arm and buttock, according to a state DEP spokesperson. Environmental officials set a trap for the bear to euthanize it. Read more: NJ Woman Attacked By Bear While She Was Getting Mail

Elsewhere in Sussex County, two dogs were killed in January in Sparta, and an 81-year-old woman was injured in a different bear attack in the township.

The attack on the woman checking her mail drew significant attention around the state. A Murphy administration spokesperson told Patch in May that the incident "further emphasized the need for a robust and comprehensive approach to bear management."

"The Murphy administration continues to support nonlethal bear management strategies that are backed by science and centered around community education and training for local officials," said Bailey Lawrence, the administration's deputy press secretary. Read more: NJ Bear Attacks Won't Prompt Gov. Murphy To Restore Hunt

But some Republican lawmakers called the Murphy administration's position "reckless."

"Without a responsible hunting policy, the bear population is exploding," State Senator Steven Oroho in a statement with New Jersey's 24th District legislators. "Regretfully, that will mean we will continue to see more dangerous interactions like yesterday's (May 11's) attack. This latest incident was a close call that could have been much worse, and it is inevitable that more residents will encounter dangerous situations if Murphy doesn't re-evaluate his reckless position."