NEW JERSEY — New Jersey’s 2025 black bear hunt concluded Saturday with the end of Segment B, resulting in a combined statewide harvest of 454 bears, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Segment A, held from Oct. 13 through Oct. 18, accounted for 368 bears harvested statewide.
Segment B, which ran from Dec. 8 through Dec. 13, resulted in an additional 86 bears statewide. Segment B harvest totals by county were Sussex County (38), Warren County (38), Morris County (4), Hunterdon County (5), and Passaic County (1). No bears were harvested during Segment B in Bergen, Somerset or Mercer counties.
When totals from both segments are combined, Sussex County recorded 223 bears, followed by Warren County with 120, Morris County with 65, Passaic County with 29, Hunterdon County with 14, Bergen County with two, and Somerset County with one. No bears were harvested in Mercer County during either segment.
State officials had previously noted that the season could be modified based on harvest levels. Under the state’s management plan, the hunt would have closed early if the cumulative harvest reached 30 percent of bears tagged in 2025, or been extended from Dec. 17 through Dec. 20 if the harvest rate remained below 20 percent. Any extension would have been limited to hunters holding valid Segment B permits who had not harvested a bear during the December season. State officials had not yet indicated whether harvest levels would trigger a late-season extension under the management plan.
Harvest figures are based on mandatory check station data collected during both segments. Wildlife officials said the data will be used as part of the state’s annual black bear population assessment, including analysis of age, weight, reproductive indicators and geographic distribution.
The bear hunt is conducted under state regulations intended to manage black bear populations and reduce human–bear interactions. Final biological reports will be released by the Division of Fish and Wildlife following completion of seasonal analysis.
More information is available through the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
