Controversial black bear hunting season begins in NJ as population surges

NEW JERSEY - A controversial hunting season is underway in New Jersey as wildlife officials warn that more black bears could cause dangerous results throughout the state.

The black bear hunt began Monday for archery hunters with muzzleloader rifles becoming legal in the following days:

• October 14-16: Archery only
• October 17-19: Archery or muzzleloader

A second hunting segment will run from December 9-14, and will only allow a shotgun or muzzleloader to be used.

Officials say the hunts are needed to help control the black bear population throughout the state, which has increased from approximately 1,500 to 3,000 since 2018.

"The black bear population is projected to grow to more than 4,000 bears in the next two years," the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said.

With an increased population, officials say dangerous black bear incidents are also on the rise.

"Reported black bear incidents, including dangerous human-bear interactions, from January through October of 2022 have increased by 237% compared to the same period in 2021," NJDEP said.

Those incidents include 62 aggressive encounters with humans, one human attack, 12 dog attacks, 12 home entries, 15 attempted home entries, 89 instances of property damage and 52 attacks on protected livestock.

Despite warnings from officials, the state's black bear hunt has drawn criticism from animal advocates.

The Animal Protection League of New Jersey has called for Gov. Phil Murphy to cancel what they called his "extreme trophy bear hunts."

New restrictions have been approved by the New Jersey Fish & Game Council to regulate the hunts, including strict prohibitions on hunting cubs under 75 pounds and adults traveling with cubs below 75 pounds, and restrictions on baiting.