TRENTON — New Jersey's third state-sanctioned bear hunt resulted in 184 fewer kills than a year ago.
State environmental officials say 285 bears were killed during the six-day hunt that ended Saturday. Last year's hunt had yielded 469 bruins, while 592 were harvested during the 2010 hunt.
Preliminary data show 188 bears were killed in Sussex County. Forty-two were harvested in Morris County, while 32 were killed in Warren County and 23 in Passaic County.
The hunt aims to control the state's black bear population, now estimated at about 2,900 in the hunting area, about 500 fewer than in 2010. It took place in an area north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287.
About 6,400 hunters participated in this year's hunt, or about 1,000 less than in 2011.
