More Than 150 Bears Killed In NJ Hunt

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — The total number of bears killed in the fourth day of the controversial black bear hunt was 28, with a total of 151 since Monday.

The majority of the black bears were once again killed in Sussex County with a count of 17, followed by 6 in Warren County, three in Warren County, one in Passaic County and one in Hunterdon County. Once again, no bears have been killed in Somerset County yet.

The hunt will continue through Saturday.

The number is still very low compared to numbers put up in last year's hunt which racked up 206 bears. In total 1,198 bears were killed in both the October and December hunts in 2016. A total of 562 bears were killed in the October hunt and 636 in the December hunt.

The first three days of the 2017 October hunt marked the second year that bow-and-arrow hunting can be used. Hunters started using muzzle-loaded firearms Thursday and can continue to use them through Saturday.

The second phase of the bear hunt will be in December when hunters can use firearms to kill the bruins.

The hunt is open in five zones, including all of Warren and Sussex counties, most of Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties and small portions of Bergen and Mercer counties. Hunters can kill one bear per hunt and no more than two total.

For more information on the hunt, visit the DEP's Bear Facts webpage.

(Image via Morguefile)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.