NEW JERSEY – New Jersey’s black bear hunt entered Segment B today, with shotgun and muzzleloader hunting permitted through Dec. 13 under strict regulations and the possibility of an early closure or late-season extension, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Segment B follows Segment A, held Oct. 13–18, during which 368 bears were killed statewide. In northwest New Jersey, the harvest included:
- Sussex County: 185
- Warren County: 82
- Morris County: 61
- Hunterdon County: 9
Legal hunting hours run from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Hunters may take one bear over 75 pounds live weight, or 50 pounds dressed, per segment, regardless of how many permits they hold.
State officials may modify the season based on harvest levels. If the cumulative harvest reaches 30% of bears tagged in 2025, the season will close. If the harvest rate remains below 20%, Segment B will be extended from Dec. 17 through Dec. 20. Only hunters who hold a valid Segment B permit and did not harvest a bear this week may participate in the extension.
Any closure or extension will be announced on the Fish and Wildlife website and through the state’s hunting email list. A closure becomes effective 24 hours after the legal closing time on the day the decision is made.
Hunting regulations in effect
Among the rules for Segment B:
- Hunters may not attempt to take a bear under 75 pounds live weight (or 50 pounds dressed).
- It is illegal to take a bear accompanied by cubs.
- Hunters may not have a loaded weapon within 300 feet of a baited area; baiting is banned on national wildlife refuges and at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
- Firearm hunters must wear a solid fluorescent orange hat or at least 200 square inches of orange visible from all sides.
- Dogs may not be used to pursue bears.
- Only stand hunting, still hunting and drive hunting are allowed.
- Shotguns must be between 20- and 10-gauge and loaded only with approved slugs; buckshot and pumpkin balls are prohibited.
- Muzzleloaders must be single-barrel rifles of .44 caliber or larger.
- Firearms must be unloaded and cased while transported in vehicles.
- Taking a bear in a den is illegal.
After the harvest
Hunters must immediately fill out and attach the Black Bear Transportation Tag and leave the sex organs intact when field dressing. Bears may be quartered for removal from the field.
Mandatory check stations for Segment B are open from noon to 7 p.m. at:
- Pequest Trout Hatchery (Warren County)
- Whittingham WMA (Sussex County)
- Flatbrook WMA (Sussex County) Is open on opening day and the last day.
- Green Pond Golf Course (Morris County)
Hunters will surrender the transportation tag and receive a legal possession seal.
Bears recovered too late to reach a check station must be reported immediately to the Northern Region Office at 908-735-8240, with the hunter’s name, address and phone number. A biologist will arrange a check the next day.
Hunters may be asked to produce the bear meat—or documentation of its location—within 48 hours after the check. After the final Saturday of Segment B or any extension, biologists will contact hunters who reported a harvest to complete biological data collection.
