Gov.-elect Phil Murphy says he will halt the beat hunt in 2018, pending research into alternative methods to control the bear population in New Jersey.
What may be the final bear hunt in New Jersey for a while ended Saturday with 18 bears killed, bringing the total for the year to 409, state environmental officials said.
The total was originally reported as 407. Two bears that were killed on Saturday, but too late to be brought to check stations, were added to the total Sunday.
This year's 16-day hunt was the longest of the 10 hunts held since 2003, when the state ended a three-decade moratorium, and was the last of eight consecutive hunts under Gov. Chris Christie.
Gov.-elect Phil Murphy, who takes office next month, has said he will halt the hunt pending research into other methods for managing the state's bear population.
Bear hunting did not occur from 2006 to 2009 under former Gov. Jon Corzine.
While bears have been sighted in all 21 counties, they are most common in the northwest corner of the state.
The state Department of Environmental Protection estimated before the hunt that up to 2,800 bears lived north of Route 78 and west of Route 287.
Opponents of the hunt disputed that figure, stating that it under-estimated the impact of the annual hunts under Christie.
A record 636 bears were killed in 2016.
The total for the 10 hunts since 2003 was 4,052.
Here are the yearly totals, according to the DEP:
- 2003: 328
- 2005: 298
- 2010: 592
- 2011: 469
- 2012: 287
- 2013: 251
- 2014: 272
- 2015: 510
- 2016: 636
- 2017: 409
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook