Bear hunt ends with far fewer kills than before

NEW JERSEY — The state-wide bear hunt, which ended on Saturday, Dec. 8 netted far less than the number of bears killed last year and not even half of those killed in 2010. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 287 bears were harvested, of which 189 were taken in Sussex County.

The 2012 hunt was the third consecutive. In 2010, 592 bears were harvested, in 2011 there were 469.

Many of those opposed to the hunt predicted the drop in numbers and claim it's because the hunt is no longer necessary to control the population.

But others claim unseasonably warm weather, in combination with 1,100 fewer hunters than last year, makes the difference. There were an estimated 6,400 hunters this year,

The Division of Fish and Wildlife estimate the bear population in northern NJ at around 2,900.