UPDATED: Black bear hunt under way

Hunters killed 252 bears in the first four days of New Jersey’s annual black bear hunting season.

One hundred nineteen bears were taken in Sussex County, followed by 74 in Warren, 41 in Morris, 12 in Passaic and six in Hunterdon.

Nineteen of the total were tagged for a cumulative harvest rate of 11.7 percent. The state’s goal is a harvest rate of 20 percent.

During a visit to the bear check station in the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area in Newton on Monday, 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.”

Segment A of the hunt continues through Saturday, Oct. 14. Daily hunting hours are from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

From Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 11, only archery was permitted. From Thursday, Oct. 12 through Saturday, Oct. 14, 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A, the permit is still valid for hunting in Segment B. If a hunter harvests a bear during Segment A, that permit is no longer valid, though the hunter may purchase a permit for that same zone to use during Segment B.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.

Youth hunters with a valid firearm hunting license also must have a black bear hunting permit. Hunters ages 10-13 must be under the direct supervision of a properly licensed adult (21 or older) while bear hunting. The adult must also possess a black bear hunting permit.

Direct supervision means the youth hunter and supervising adult are at the same location. The youth hunter may not hunt independently of the adult.

Hunters must check all bears harvested at a mandatory bear check station. They will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Segment A.

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