NJ Bear Encounters Spike As Controversial Hunt Begins

Bear encounters across New Jersey are up more than 22 percent compared to all of 2025, with Morris County logging over 100 more incidents than last year and Somerset County seeing a near 160 percent jump. Against that backdrop, the state’s annual black bear hunt kicked off Monday, running October 12 to 17 and again December 7 to 12, as officials note the black bear population has roughly doubled since 2018 to around 3,000 and climbing.