Official: 146 bears killed during first day of 2016 hunt

TRENTON -- A New Jersey official says 146 bears were killed during the first day of New Jersey's expanded black bear hunt.

NJ.com reports the number killed as of 7 p.m. Monday is nearly 30 percent of last year's total harvest of 510 bears. That harvest was the second-highest number since the bear hunt re-started in 2010.

State Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Robert Geist cited increased human and bear interaction as the reason for the extended hunt.

Monday was the first of the six-day hunting season. The first three days are reserved for bow hunting, while hunting with bows and muzzle-loading guns will be allowed during the last three days.

The firearm-only season for bear hunting this year will take place from Dec. 5-10.

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