Latest number: 439 bears killed as part of New Jersey’s bear hunt

The bear hunt in New Jersey has come to an end and now state Department of Environmental Protection officials will put together a final number of bears that were killed as part of this year’s six-day hunt.

The Star-Ledger reports as of Sunday, 439 bears were killed in the nearly week-long hunt. That number, however, was expected to rise as hunters were returning to stations after the close of the hunt.

According to The Star-Ledger, the bears killed in the hunt represents nearly 13 percent of the state-estimated population of 3,400 bears in areas north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287.

According to the report, 592 bears were killed in last year’s hunt.