Bear Hunt Begins for Third Year in NJ

DEP said bear sighting reports are down 34 percent from last year.

New Jersey's third annual bear hunt began Monday, with the first black bear brought in as part of the hunt killed in Sussex County. The bear, a 165-pound male, was three years old and was not lured by hunters, according to The Record. The second killed bear brought in was a year-and-a-half old and was killed near Sparta. The bear hunt, which is designed to help control the state's black bear population, will continue until Saturday and is held in conjunction with the firearm deer-hunting season. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), 469 black bears were harvested last year while 50,109 deer were harvested. Bears are allowed to be hunted by licensed hunters with black bear permits, one bear per hunter, …

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