The bear hunt has continued on through the cold weather, and hunters have continued to “harvest” a steady number of New Jersey bears leading into the final two days.
This year’s hunt has culled 202 through four days, similar to last year’s 228 at the same point in the six-day season, according to the state New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Though this week is still the slowest hunt of the six in the last decade, consistent kills of 30 or more on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have narrowed the gap between this year and last year, the hunt records show.
Two-hundred forty are expected to be killed this year, and last year’s final cull total was 287, officials have said.
More than half of this year's bruins have been killed in Sussex County, considered to have the densest population of the animals in the state, with smaller numbers in the surrounding counties. Through four days, 123 have been reported killed in Sussex, 36 in Warren, 24 in Morris, 18 in Passaic, and just one in Hunterdon.
This week is the fourth consecutive season to the northwestern corner of the state. Both this year’s hunt and last year’s have been significantly below the prior two years. A record 592 bears were killed in 2010, and 469 were taken in 2011.
Officials estimate the bear population has been reduced by as much as 1,000 since the hunts began in 2010 – but there are also an expected 1,000 fewer hunters in the woods of the hunting areas north of I-78 and west of I-287, said Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Though the bear population is estimated at 2,500 to 2,800, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has said the target number is in the range of 1,200 to 1,500.
A hunter in Wawayanda State Park was issued two fish and game summonses on Thursday after being spotted by a bear-hunt opponent. The hunter was cited for not having proper orange coloring on his hunting blind, and for being too close to his bait pile, said Larry Ragonese, a DEP spokesman. The hunter was 30 feet away from the bait - but should have been 300 feet away because of safety concerns, officials said. The call notifying fish and game officials was made by Susan Kehoe, a Vernon resident who's vocally opposed the hunt over the last decade.
Also this week, a hunter fell out of his Hopatcong tree stand on Tuesday night - and later died at a hospital from unknown causes, local police said.
NEW JERSEY BEAR HUNT 2012 LIVE MAP
This year, NJ.com is tracking how many bears are killed in this year's bear hunt. Come back at every morning this week as we add the newest numbers from NJDEP.
Map by