Week-Long New Jersey Bear Hunt Heads Into Fifth Day
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - With only two more full days left before New Jersey's black bear hunting season wraps up and less-than-optimal weather earlier this week, we wanted to check the numbers.
As WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported, it looks like the Nor'easter didn't put a damper on the number of black bears killed during this week-long season.
Week-Long New Jersey Bear Hunt Heads Into Fifth Day
"It didn't put a damper because day one was a very good day. It was cold, but it was clear," Environmental Protection Department Spokesperson Larry Ragonese said.
Twenty-five bears were killed on the fourth day of New Jersey's annual black bear hunt, bringing the total on the state Division of Fish & Wildlife's website to 189.
Hunters killed 124 bears on Monday, the first day of the six-day hunt. They killed 19 on Tuesday and 21 on Wednesday. Most of the bears have been shot in Sussex and Warren counties.
"So far this year we have 164 bears in the first three full days of the hunt. That's pretty comparable to last year," Ragonese said.
In 2013, a total of 251 bears were hunted, Putney reported.
This is the end of a five-year program, but right now, it is expected to continue next year, Putney reported.
"Because we have not gotten to the point where we've been able to reduce the number of bear to substantially deal with it," he said.
However, some N.J. homeowners said that with a population of more than 2,500 black bears, one week of hunting isn't enough.
Black bears have been caught on camera, like one walking upright in Jefferson Township. Another was spotted in a backyard in Wyckoff and another hanging out in the middle of Ridgewood.
There was also a deadly encounter when 22-year-old Darsh Patel was mauled to death while hiking in the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford.
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