The 2025 New Jersey bear hunt opened Oct. 13 with the fewest amount of bears killed on the first day in seven years, according to state data.

The Division Fish and Wildlife reported 55 bears killed to start the hunt, including 28 in Sussex County and 12 in Morris County. The total is slightly more than half the mark of 100 on the first day of the 2024 hunt .

The rest of the county totals on opening day include eight harvested bears in Warren, five in Passaic, and one each in Bergen and Hunterdon. Somerset and Mercer counties did not record any bears killed.

The Oct. 13 harvest amount is the fewest for the first day of the October bear hunt since 2018 , when there were 42 bears killed on opening day, according to the fish and wildlife division. The hunt consisted of only a Decemb

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