The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is currently offering free Bear Hunting Seminars, which uncertified hunters must attend in order to obtain a permit for the bear season included in the recently adopted Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy (CBBMP). The CBBMP will become effective upon publication in the NJ Register in early fall.

Certifications remain valid for hunters who attended a NJ Bear Hunting Seminar from 2003 to 2006 (see link below).

Those who are interested in bear hunting but do not have certification are encouraged to register for a seminar as soon as possible. Seminars are posted, along with basic hunter education courses, at https://nj.aspirafocus.com/internetsales/ALS/course/course_report.php where hunters must register to attend. BE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR A BEAR SEMINAR AND NOT A BASIC COURSE.

Seminars will be offered monthly until the season opens, including the weekend before the season to accommodate hunters coming from out-of-state.

The bear hunt will be held in portions of a 1,000 square-mile area north of Route 78 and west of Rt. 287 in Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset and Passaic counties. The black bear permit application period opens on October 1; hunters will be able to apply at any license agent or on the division's license website.

More information on the season, bear hunting zones and permits will be in the 2010 Hunting Issue of the Fish and Wildlife Digest, available at license agents and the division Web site the week of August 9.