NJ: Large, Hungry Bears Coming To An Area Near You - Which Towns?

Last week, a 384-pound bear was taken down in a bear hunt after killing livestock.

That was in North Jersey. But bears are no longer limiting themselves to one area of the state.

Black bears have how been reported in all 21 counties. Since the 1980s, the Garden State’s black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range both southward and eastward from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Within the most densely populated state in the nation, black bears are thriving, according to the DEP. There have been sightings as far south as Cape May County, according to The Press of Atlantic City, and large omnivore bears also have been reported in Ocean County; Cumberland County and in various Atlantic County towns since 2008.

The DEP has even put together maps showing how the bear distribution has expanded massively since 1995. A photo of this map accompanies this story.

>>Related: 400-Pound Bear Suspected of Attacking Livestock Killed In Chester

N.J. residents told The Press of Atlantic City that they know the bears are here because they have seen them.

“I get people coming into my shop saying they’ve seen them here and there,” Len Guthrie, 71, owner for 35 years of Cape Taxidermy in Cape May County, told the newspaper.

This year, the state extended the hunt for four days, starting Wednesday, after 472 bears were bagged - a total DEP officials say wasn’t enough to prevent them from having contact with humans. Bear harvests also have been down significantly in recent years, according to the DEP. In 2014, 272 bears were taken; in 2013, 251; and in 2012, 287.

Dr. Hubert Paluch, 67, a veterinarian and the director of the Cape May County Park & Zoo, told The Press of Atlantic City that black bears are opportunists that will eat readily available vegetation as well as small animals. Wooded areas in South Jersey are secluded enough to provide them with places to live.

If you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, the DEP says, follow these common-sense safety tips.

• Never feed or approach a bear.
• Remain calm if you encounter a bear. Do not run from it.
• Make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises.
• Make sure the bear has an escape route.
• If a bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open.
• Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away.
• To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.
• The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping jaw sounds by snapping its jaws and swat the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away, avoid direct eye contact and do not run.
• If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It is usually not a threatening behavior.
• Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, then slowly back away and do not run.
• If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area.
• Report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to the DEP’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).
• Families who live in areas frequented by black bears should have a “Bear Plan” in place for children, with an escape route and planned use of whistles and air horns.
• Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back.