Number Of Bears Killed In Hunt Tops 350

Another 62 bears were killed Wednesday, the third day of a hunt designed to control the state’s black bear population.

The number of bears killed in this year’s state-sanctioned hunt is 368, harvest numbers from the state Department of Environmental Protection show. Thursday is the first day hunters may use muzzle-loaded guns to hunt bears. The extended October hunt ends Saturday, about two months before the firearm hunting season is held in December.

The bear season will close if the harvest rate reaches 30 percent of bears tagged in 2016. So far, 24 of the 197 bears tagged for harvest have been killed, or a little more than 12 percent. Any bear, regardless of gender or age, may be hunted.

• RELATED: 100 More Bears Killed On Second Day Of Hunt

Five hunting zones have been set up across the north and central part of the state. Hunters are restricted to the zone, or zones, for which they possess a permit. Each hunter may kill one bear in this hunt and another in the December hunt.

Most of the bears, 181, have been killed in Sussex County. Seventy-three have been killed in Warren County and 62 in Morris. Passaic County has the next highest number of kills at 42, while Hunterdon and Bergen have eight and two bears killed, respectively.

Three protesters were arrested at the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area in Newton in Sussex County. They said the hunt is a trophy hunt and is unnecessary.

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