December 15, 2020
The December segment of the black bear hunting season will be extended by four days to achieve management and bear population objectives. The next phase of Segment B of the season (Segment A was October 12-17) will begin a half-hour prior to sunrise on Wednesday, December 16 and will continue until a half-hour after sunset on Saturday, December 19.
New Jersey's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, which has been integrated into the Game Code, mandates that the Division of Fish and Wildlife extend the bear hunting season by four days should the harvest rate not achieve a 20 percent threshold. That harvest rate is deemed necessary to provide better ecological balance to the bear population and reduce the potential for bear-human encounters. The harvest rate for the season stands at 13.4%.
The total number of bears harvested in October was 336. The preliminary total for the number of bears harvested in December to date is 69 for a season total of 405.
Hunters must check all bears harvested. Successful hunters must call 908-735-0216 for instructions on mandatory check-in no later than 6:00 p.m. Hunters shall surrender the black bear transportation tag and will be issued a legal possession seal. Bear check will NOT be available through the automated system.
Properly licensed hunters who harvest a black bear shall immediately complete and affix to the bear hide the Black Bear Transportation Tag from their Black Bear Hunting Permit. Information to report on the black bear transportation tag includes:
- Hunter's name, address, Conservation ID number
- Date and time of kill
- Nearest road
- County and municipality of kill and the sex of the black bear.
When field dressing a black bear, leave the sex organs intact, attached to the body. A harvested black bear may be quartered and brought out of the field in sections.
Bear Season Information
