470 bears killed in annual hunt
NEW JERSEY. The harvest rate was 24.1 percent, above the state’s goal of 20 percent.
| 16 Dec 2024 | 03:36
A total of 470 black bears were killed in New Jersey’s annual hunt.
The second of the two-part hunt ended Saturday, Dec. 14.
From Monday, Dec. 9 through Saturday, 73 bears were killed: 46 in Sussex County, 20 in Warren, three in Morris, three in Passaic and one in Hunterdon, according to figures from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Fish & Wildlife section.
A total of 397 were killed in the first part of the hunt, Oct. 14-19.
In Segment A, 192 bears were taken in Sussex, 102 in Warren, 70 in Morris, 23 in Passaic, six in Hunterdon, three in Bergen and one in Somerset.
A total of 48, or 24.1 percent, of the bears killed this year had a tag attached to an ear. The tags are used to determine the harvest rate.
State officials are aiming for a harvest rate of 20 percent, which they have said is needed to reduce the black bear population.
On Monday, Dec. 16, Fish & Wildlife officials said Segment B of the hunt would not be extended because the harvest rate exceeded 20 percent.
Last year, 493 bears were killed. The harvest rate was 19 percent and the hunt was extended by four days.