328 bears killed in hunt

Hunters killed 328 bears in the first segment of a two-part black bear hunting season this year in New Jersey.

In Sussex County, 155 bears were taken, followed by 100 in Warren, 51 in Morris, 16 in Passaic and six in Hunterdon.

Nearly a third of the total were killed on the first day, Oct. 9, which also was the Columbus Day holiday.

Twenty-two of the total were tagged for a cumulative harvest rate of 13.5 percent. The state’s goal is a harvest rate of 20 percent.

Wildlife biologists affix tags to bears when one is handled for research purposes or is captured in response to a nuisance complaint.

During a visit to the bear check station in the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area in Newton on Oct. 9, Fish and Wildlife Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden said there was a slight decrease of interactions between people and bears after the hunt last year. ”When the hunt was closed, we saw an increase in bear-human incidents.”

In 2022, 114 bears were killed in a hunt Dec. 6-10 and Dec. 14-17. The last four days were added because the target number to be harvested was not reached.

Some said the total last year was smaller than expected because a lawsuit prevented the hunt from starting Monday, Dec. 5 as scheduled. Typically, many hunters take the first day of the hunt off from work.

The 2022 harvest rate was 7.1 percent, with 13 of the bears killed having been tagged.

Two-part hunt

This year, Segment A of the hunt was Oct. 9-14. Daily hunting hours were from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

From Monday through Wednesday, only archery was permitted. From Thursday through Saturday, archery and muzzleloaders are permitted.

Segment B of the season will be Monday, Dec. 4 through Saturday, Dec. 9 for shotguns and muzzleloaders only.

Black bear hunting is permitted only in zones 1-5, which include parts of Sussex, Morris, Passaic, Warren, Hunterdon, Bergen, Mercer and Somerset counties.

The New Jersey Fish & Game Council on Sept. 6 voted to permit bear hunting for the next five years and set rules.

The state Department of Environmental Protection formally adopted the rules Oct. 2.

Among the rules:

• Hunters may not attempt to take or kill a black bear weighing less than 75 pounds (live weight), or less than 50 pounds dressed.

• Hunters may not attempt to take or kill an adult black bear that is in the presence of cub(s) (bears weighing less than 75 pounds).

• Hunters may not attempt to take or kill a black bear or have a loaded weapon within 300 feet of a baited area when hunting bears.

Black bear permits are valid only for a specific zone. Hunters may have up to two permits, each for a different zone, but may harvest only one bear per segment no matter how many permits they have.

If no bear is taken during Segment A, the permit is still valid for hunting in Segment B. If a hunter harvests a bear during Segment A, that permit is no longer valid, though the hunter may purchase a permit for that same zone to use during Segment B.

Apprentice license holders are not eligible to hunt black bear.

Hunters must check all bears harvested at a mandatory bear check station.

For information, go online to the DEP Fish & Wildlife’s Bear Hunting Season Information webpage at https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/bears/bear-hunting-season-information/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery