Hundreds Of NJ Bears Killed In First Phase Of Hunt

Phase One of New Jersey’s 2026 bear hunt wrapped up last week with 367 bears killed, nearly matching last phase’s total, with Morris County accounting for 61 of those harvests. A second hunting segment runs December 7 to 12, and the hunt will continue until at least 20 percent of the state’s roughly 3,000 black bears are killed, even as animal advocacy groups continue pushing to ban the hunt entirely.