Black Bear Hunt in North Jersey Begins Monday

For six days this month hunters will have the opportunity to hunt for black bears in six different northern New Jersey counties to help the state slim down the animal’s population.

The oft debated back bear hunt, set for Monday, Dec. 8 through sunset on Saturday, Dec. 13, comes after months of bear sightings in the state, videos of adult bruins rumbling in a residential area, and the first black bear killing of a human being on record in the state.

This year’s hunt coincides with the beginning of the state’s opening of firearm deer hunting season across New Jersey.

Hunting zones are established in portions of Morris, Passaic, Hunterdon, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren Counties, as well as a small portion of western Bergen County.

In 2013 hunters killed 251 bears, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. This year will mark the seventh time the state has allowed the hunt. Previous hunting years include 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

The hunt has yielded the following results per year:

2013: 251
2012: 287
2011: 469
2010: 592
2005: 298
2003: 328

The DEP said it estimates the 2014 total will be similar to that of 2013.

“We expect another safe, professionally managed black bear hunt, which is just one component of New Jersey’s comprehensive effort to manage our black bear population,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin in a statement. “In an effort to properly manage our ecosystem, we are seeking to reduce the number of black bears to a sustainable number in Northwest Jersey, while improving public safety by reducing bear encounters with our residents.”

The DEP estimates approximately 2,200 to 2,500 black bears living in the hunting area north of Rt. 78 and west of Rt. 287, down from an estimated 3,400 bears in 2010 in the same region.

Some 7,000 bear hunting permits are anticipated to be obtained by Monday morning, the DEP said, with a maximum of 10,000 available.

Darsh Patel, a 22-year-old Rutgers University student was killed by a black bear while hiking with friends on Sept. 21 in the Apshawa Preserve. The attack was the first known fatal bear attack on record in the state.

In October, a video surfaced out of Rockaway that showed two adult black bears fighting for authority in the middle of a residential neighborhood. That video can be seen here.

There are five bear check stations available to hunters in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties. They include:

Black River Wildlife Management Area in Chester
275 North Road
Open Monday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 13 from noon to 7 p.m.

Green Pond Golf Course
765 Green Pond Road/Rt. 513 in Rockaway
Open all six days from noon to 7 p.m.

Flatbrook-Roy Wildlife Management Area
Route 615 (Walpack Rd.)
Layton (Sandyston Township)
Open noon to 7 p.m. all six days

Whittingham Wildlife Management Area
148 Fredon-Springdale Road
Newton (Fredon Township)
Open noon to 7 p.m. all six days

Do you agree with the bear hunt? Is it a practice necessary in New Jersey?