Five hundred ten bears were killed during New Jersey's annual bear hunt in 2015, making it the second highest harvest since the hunt resumed in 2010. Watch video
Five hundred ten bears were killed during New Jersey's annual bear hunt in 2015, making it the second-highest harvest since the hunt resumed in 2010.
In 2010, 592 bears were killed when the hunt resumed after a five-year hiatus.
The hunt that wrapped up last month was extended by four days when hunters failed to hit the state Department of Environmental Protection's target of 20 to 30 percent of tagged bears. Only 18 percent of tagged bears were killed during the harvest.
Why did N.J. extend the 2015 bear hunt?
Still, the 2015 bear hunt yielded a significantly greater number of bears than the hunts in 2012, 2013 and 2014, in which fewer than 300 bears were killed each year. State officials have attributed the increased harvest in part to better weather conditions.
According to the DEP, some areas of Sussex County have as many as three bears per square mile. Bob Considine, a DEP spokesman, has said other states with healthy bear populations have a population density of one bear per three square miles. Based on those figures, some parts of Sussex have a population density nine times greater than other states with healthy bear populations.
Despite a claim to the contrary made by Gov. Chris Christie on the campaign trail in New Hampshire on Sunday, the most recent hunt didn't set any records.
"This year, we killed more bear than ever before (and) I extended it to make it longer because we've gotten more and more reports of bears coming into suburban neighborhoods," Christie said.
Should the N.J. bear hunt be allowed? | Poll
Reintroduced in 2010, the aim of the annual bear hunt, according to the DEP, is to keep the black bear population in check by balancing out the number of cubs born every year, known as "recruitment."
Animal-rights activists and environmental groups have regularly protested the hunt and criticized Christie's support of the hunt, saying killing the animals is neither humane nor an effective long-term solution.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.