Hunters may use bow and arrows as well as muzzleloaders from Thursday to Saturday.
NEWTON -- Sixty-two bears were killed on the third day and final day of the extended hunting season set aside for just bow and arrow hunters in New Jersey, bringing the total to 368 bears killed since Monday, officials said.
The 368 bears killed so far is more than 70 percent of the 510 bears reported by hunters in the entire 2015 season.
The extended season continues Thursday through Saturday for hunters using muzzleloaders as well as bow and arrows. The state's firearms season runs from Dec. 5 to 10.
For the third consecutive day, the most bears were killed in Sussex County with 28, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Fifteen bears were killed in Warren County, 12 in Passaic County, six in Morris County and one in Hunterdon County.
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A total of 24 bears previously tagged by wildlife officials have been killed, the DEP said.
Hunters killed a total of 206 bears on the first day of the extended bear hunt on Monday, 100 bears Tuesday and 62 Wednesday, the DEP reported.
The county-by-county totals through Wednesday:
- Sussex County - 181
- Warren County - 73
- Morris County - 62
- Passaic County - 42
- Hunterdon County - 8
- Bergen County - 2
The 2016 bear hunt in New Jersey marks the first time since the late 1960s that hunters in the state are permitted to kill bears using bow and arrows, DEP officials said.
Five bear hunting zones are open to hunting in Bergen, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties. The DEP sold 7,664 permits for the first week of the bear hunt compared to the 8,799 permits sold for the 2015 season.
More information on the bear hunt is available on the DEP's bear hunting season website.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.