The first section of the hunt, involving bow and arrows and muzzleloaders, took place in October.
FREDON -- The second and final stage of New Jersey's 2016 bear hunt got off to a slow start Monday.
Two months after 562 bears were killed over six days, the state's five weigh stations were reporting very little activity, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Robert Geist said.
At the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area, where Geist was based, only three hunters had arrived with dead bears as of 2:30 p.m., under the watch of about two dozen protesters based across the street.
Asked about the hunt, Alison Long of Sussex Borough said, "I'm hoping that it stops."
"They deserve to live in peace," she said of bears.
At least nine state police and conservation officers were present but there were no arrests. That was in contrast with the opening day of the October hunt in which three demonstrators were charged with disorderly conduct and other offenses after allegedly straying beyond the area reserved for demonstrators.
Geist said that on that day, Oct. 10, he recalled a line of cars leading up to the scales in Fredon. The five check stations collectively registered 206 bears.
Geist, while stating he would not receive an official tally until the evening, said all indications were that Monday's count would be far short of Oct. 10.
"I'm probably at the most active area," Geist said, adding, "Everyone is telling me that we're slow across the spectrum."
Geist speculated that colder weather prompting additional bears into hibernation was a factor, in addition to the reduction stemming from the October hunt.
Monday's pace also increased the likelihood that the hunt's second stage will continue through Saturday.
Under the rules of the hunt, DEP is to order an early end if the cumulative percentage of "tagged," or previously recorded, bears reaches 30 percent of that population.
With 46 of the 197 bears that were tagged in 2016 killed in October, another 14 would trigger the 30 percent threshold.
In prior years, the bear season was limited to December.
None of the three bears brought to Fredon by 2:30 p.m., including a 565-pound male, were tagged, Geist said.
Monday's slow start was little solace to the protesters.
They held signs and chanted in unison, "Stop the killing, stop the injustice," at one point jeering a hunter, Nick Bockbrader of Allamuchy, who was accompanied by his children when he arrived around 1:30 p.m. with a 565-pound male bear.
Bockbrader was the third hunter at the station. The first two brought in an 85-pound male and 44-pound female and neither gave their names.
All three exited without further commenting.
Geist said the hunt is only one aspect of a bear management plan in New Jersey. He said it also includes educating residents of bear country about the importance of securing their garbage.
"Obviously, the harvest in something people differ on," he said, using the word DEP typically substitutes for hunting.
Valerie Devine of Parsippany, a protester, said she has been protesting the bear hunt ever year since 2010, when the annual season resumed under Gov. Chris Christie.
"My big thing is, what did the bear do to you," she said in explaining her attitude toward hunters.
Jerome Mandel of Newton had attached a black ribbon to his clothing.
Mandel said it represented "the bears who have lost their lives, approximately 3,000, under this governor."
The first hunter arrived just after 10 a.m. Monday. He said he shot the bear at 7:50 a.m, but declined to say where he shot it, other than it happened in Sussex County.
Sussex is one of eight counties where the hunt is taking place. More than half of the bears killed in the October hunt were in Sussex.
In addition to Sussex, the bear hunt is taking part in Warren, Morris, Bergen, Hunterton, Mercer, Passaic and Somerset counties.
Diane Milleson of Middletown said she drove about 90 minutes to reach the demonstration.
She was holding a sign reading, "RIP Pedals," in a reference to the famed bipedal bear believed to have been killed in the October hunt.
"I'm here for him, and the cubs, and their mothers," she said.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.