The New Jersey black bear hunting season is held concurrently with the Six-day Firearm Deer Season; in 2011 the dates are December 5-10. Participants are required to have a Black Bear Hunting Area Permit for the area they hunt in and a valid firearm license.

There are four bear hunting areas open to hunting in New Jersey; hunters were restricted to hunt only in the area for which they possess a permit. Hunters are limited to one black bear per hunter for the season even if possessing permits for two separate areas.

Information about the season can be found in the NJ Hunting and Trapping Digest. Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for further information regarding the New Jersey black bear season.

Black Bear Hunting Areas Map and Descriptions

After Harvesting a Bear — Mandatory Bear Check Requirement

Properly licensed hunters who harvest a black bear shall immediately complete and affix to the bear the "Black Bear Transportation Tag" from their Black Bear Hunting Permit. Information included on the black bear transportation tag shall include: the hunter’s name, address, Conservation ID (CID) Number; date and time of kill; nearest road, county and municipality of kill; and the sex of the black bear.

Successful hunters must take the black bear to a designated check station by 7 p.m. on the day of the kill. Hunters shall surrender the black bear transportation tag and will be issued a legal possession seal.

Any legally killed black bear recovered too late to be brought to a designated black bear check station by 7 p.m. on the date of the kill must be reported immediately by telephone to the Northern Region Office of the Bureau of Law Enforcement (908-735-8240). Hunters must provide their name, address and a telephone number where they can be reached on the telephone message recording device, if a Division representative is not available. Said black bear must be brought to a designated black bear check station the next day to be registered and to receive a legal possession seal. Hunters reporting bears to the law enforcement office after check stations close on Saturday will be contacted by a biologist on Sunday to legally check the bear and collect biological data on Sunday.