WEST ORANGE, NJ — Bears were safe to roam freely for a while after Governor Phil Murphy canceled the bear hunt in 2018, but officials approved a week of bow hunting in October because bears were wandering close to populated areas . The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has monitored reports of bears going through people’s trash, trying to enter houses, causing property damage, being hit by cars and some being aggressive.
West Orange resident and hunter Brian Melvin headed to Kinnelon with his bow and arrow to find a 770-pound bear that he shared he’d been tracking for a few years. He killed the bear, the largest archer “harvest” in NJ history, on Oct. 15.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER
Melvin, who’s hunted many animals, said that black bears are very intelligent, and he found his recent kill challenging. He mentioned that residents said the bear had been aggressive. Melvin preserved the bear’s meat and plans to mount it.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, 23 Morris County bears were killed on the first day of New Jersey’s 2024 black bear hunt. A total of 392 were murdered between Oct. 14 to Oct. 19 in Sussex, Warren, Passaic, Morris, Bergen, Hunterdon, Somerset and Mercer counties. Archers were given a week to hunt bears.