Seven bears were brought to weigh station on the 12th and final day of the hunt, the state Department of Environmental Protection said. More than 3,000 bears have been killed by hunters since the annual resumed in 2010
FREDON - New Jersey's 2016 bear hunt ended Saturday with a record 636 bears being killed.
Seven bears were brought to weigh stations on the 12th and final day of the hunt, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
The prior record, of 592 bears killed in the 2010 hunt, was surpassed Tuesday. A total of more than 3,000 bears have been killed by hunters since the annual hunt resumed seven years ago.
Former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli and State Sen. Ray Lesniak were among about 100 attending a bear hunt protest Saturday in the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area, across the street from one of five weigh stations operated by DEP during the hunt.
A total of 562 bears were killed during the first stage of the hunt, held during six days in October. It was the first time since bear hunting in New Jersey resumed in 2003, following a moratorium of three decades, that the season was extended beyond December.
Another 74 bears were killed during the second stage, which got underway Monday.
The final county by county totals for 2016:
- Sussex County - 344
- Warren County - 106
- Morris County - 104
- Passaic County - 64
- Hunterdon County - 15
- Bergen County - 3
- Somerset County - 0
- Mercer County - 0
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
