409 black bears were killed in NJ in the 2017 bear hunts.
In the past 8 years more than 3,200 bears have been killed.
If you have hiked through NJ and haven't seen any bears in the past few years, fear not, the bear population is about to rise significantly.
NJ's governorship is transitioning from a pro-hunt republican to an anti-hunt democrat.
The DEP estimates the the current 2,500 bear in NJ will double in 4 years without hunting as a management tool.
Yearly bear kill totals in NJ:
- 2003: 328
- 2005: 298
- 2010: 592
- 2011: 469
- 2012: 287
- 2013: 251
- 2014: 272
- 2015: 510
- 2016: 636
- 2017: 409