Dozens of Bears Downed on Day 1 of Hunt

Hunters are facing cold and snowy conditions on the second day of New Jersey's six-day black bear season.

Hunters killed 93 bruins on Monday, mostly in Sussex County.

The first bear taken was a 279-pound adult male in Andover Township.

The state says 6,445 bear permits out of a maximum available 10,000 were issued, a small decrease from last year.

The six-day hunt is taking place in four designated areas in parts of Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Somerset and Hunterdon counties.

Hunters are limited to only one bear for the season.

State officials say they need to control the black bear population, which grew to about 3,000 in the hunting area in 2012. Animal rights groups protested the hunt.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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