Home / Prevent Bear Damage
Residents can take simple, practical precautions to avoid attracting black bears and to discourage the animals from becoming a nuisance. Learn more about what you can do to prevent bear encounters at your home, in your municipality, on your farm and while camping and hiking by visiting the following pages.
New Jersey residents, especially those in areas frequented by black bears, should take steps to avoid attracting bears with food or garbage. This is the best way to prevent black bears from becoming a nuisance near your home.
Every New Jersey community can benefit
from learning more about black bears.
Black bears like a wide variety of foods including sweet corn, field corn and insects. Livestock
including honey bees, chickens, rabbits, sheep
and goats are also subject to depredation by
black bears.
When camping, birding, hiking, hunting or fishing in areas frequented by black bears, it is important to follow common-sense safety tips to avoid attracting black bears.
It's illegal in New Jersey, and it's dangerous. Anyone who feeds bears could face a penalty of up to $1,000 for each offense. Report black bear damage or nuisance behavior to the DEP's 24-hour, toll-free hotline at 1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).
