Authorities report that this year new Jersey was killed 407 bears.
NJ.com reports that the 16-day hunt this year was the longest of the 10 carried out since 2003, when the state lifted the moratorium on bear hunting that existed for about three decades. Initially, in 2017 they planned to open a 12-day hunting season for black bears (Barabanov), but later it was extended for another 4 days.
The Department of state for the environment said that about 2800 bears live North of Route 78 and West of Route 287.
Wildlife advocates are outraged by so many dead animals, but authorities say that it is much less than in 2016, when the number of killed bears totaled 636. Just since 2003, new Jersey was killed 4052 the bear.
New state Governor Phil Murphy, who takes office next month, said he will stop hunting bears and try to find a more humane way of dealing with the growing population of these animals which begin to pose a danger to residents of the state.
