Number Of Bears Killed Doubles On Hunt's 2nd Day

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Nearly 60 black bears were killed Tuesday, the second day of a six-day long hunt designed to control the state's black bear population.

Of the 56 bears harvested, 28 were killed in Sussex County. Thirteen were killed in Morris County and 10 in Warren, numbers released Tuesday night by the state Department of Environmental Protection show. Four bears were killed in Passaic County and one in Hunterdon County.

Those numbers are significantly less than the number of bears killed during the first two days of last year's hunt when 306 were killed. Last year was the first since 1970 that hunters were allowed to use bows during the hunt.

Nearly 1,200 bears were killed in both the October and December hunts last year. Only bows and arrows may be used during the October hunt's first three days. Hunters may use muzzle-loaded firearms Thursday 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 designed to reduce the population size of black bears in New Jersey. The bears are native to all counties but are most commonly spotted in the northwestern corner of the state.

“Black bears are an important part of our natural ecosystem,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty. “Closely managed hunting is a key component of the state’s comprehensive approach for maintaining a sustainable bear population while reducing the potential for property damage and encounters with people.”

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.

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