The first phase of New Jersey's 2026 bear hunt has come and gone, leaving more than 360 carcasses in its wake.
Last week, from Monday to Saturday, Phase One of the bear hunt commenced. Hunters were restricted to archery hunting only from Monday to Wednesday, with muzzleloader rifles permitted in the last three days of the hunt.
According to NJ Fish and Wildlife, a total of 367 bears were killed in the first phase, just one less than last year's first phase.
See a county-by-county breakdown of bear harvests last week, provided by NJ Fish and Wildlife:
The second phase of the hunt, known as Segment B, will be held from Dec. 7 to Dec. 12. This phase is muzzleloader rifle and shotgun hunting only.
If 20 percent of the New Jersey black bear population is not killed by the end of Segment B, NJ Fish and Wildlife will extend the hunt until the threshold is reached, as it did last year. Conversely, if the 20 percent is killed before the last day of the hunt, it will end early.
According to NJ Fish and Wildlife, the state's black bear population is around 3,000 and rising, up from around 1,500 bears in 2018. Projections indicate the population could reach 4,000 in two years, according to state officials.
During the season, each hunter is limited to killing one bear over 75 pounds live weight, or 50 pounds dressed, per segment.
Once a bear is killed, hunters must report it to one of the following five bear check-in locations: Pequest Trout Hatchery in Warren County, Whittingham and Flatbrook WMAs in Sussex County, and Green Pond Golf Course and Black River WMA in Morris County.
The 2026 hunt comes as bear encounters have significantly increased in the northern part of the state.
According to NJ Fish and Wildlife, bear encounters so far in 2026 are already more than 22 percent higher as of Sept. 21 than in all of 2025.
The largest increases are seen in the northern counties, with Morris County reporting more than 100 bear encounters between Jan. 1 and Sept. 21 than in the entirety of last year. Somerset County is reporting a near 160 percent increase in bear encounters compared to last year, the data shows.
Read More: NJ Bear Encounters Spike As Controversial Hunt Begins
Controversy
For years, the state's bear hunt has sparked debate on ethical and environmental concerns.
The black bear hunt was suspended in 2018 by Governor Phil Murphy, who campaigned to end the hunt for good. The move was an attempt to "evaluate the feasibility of exclusively using non-lethal measures" to limit bears' interaction with the public.
However, after a drastic increase in black bear incidents, including aggressive interactions with humans and property damage, the hunt was reinstated in November 2022.
"The facts on the ground have shown that we cannot rely on nonlethal methods alone to protect New Jersey residents from a growing black bear population," said Murphy in a 2022 statement. "Today's actions will facilitate the reinstatement of a regulated black bear hunt this year to help limit dangerous interactions between people and bears to protect public safety."
Animal advocates from across the state still want the hunt banned, including the Animal Protection League of New Jersey. The institute has been speaking out against the killing of the bears, adding that public education, garbage containment, and attractant control are ethical alternatives to the hunt.
The Animal Protection League of New Jersey has organized a series of protests across the state from now through December, raising awareness of the bear hunt and calling on state officials to put an end to it.
Additionally, a 2019 poll conducted by Remington Research Group for the Humane World for Animals showed an overwhelming opposition from the public to the state's bear hunt.
State officials, however, say the hunt is necessary, not only for public safety, but for environmental harmony.
"Dense populations of bears can also lead to inadequate natural sources of food for the animals and territory for young males," an NJ Fish and Wildlife statement read. "This causes wider dispersion of bears into areas where they are even more likely to come into conflict with people and increases the risk of bears seeking sources of food such as trash, pet food left outside, seed from bird feeders, agricultural crops, and poultry and livestock."
To learn more about New Jersey's bear hunt, click here
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