A judge on New Jersey's highest court refused to stop a black bear hunt so the hunt began on Monday.
By the afternoon about 60 bears were killed, authorities said.
The hunt in seven northwestern counties is expected to reduce the number by 300 to 700 bears. It is part of the state Department of Environmental Protection's bear management policy, which the animal activists claimed was improperly developed.
The Animal Protection League of New Jersey and the Bear Education and Resource Group had asked the court to issue a stay that would have stopped the six-day hunt, the state's first in five years, before it started.
But Supreme Court Justice Edwin Stern turned down that request in an order issued Saturday afternoon. It came a day after an appeals court refused to block the hunt, saying the groups' claims lacked merit.
Environmental regulators insist the hunt is needed to control a growing bear population now estimated at 3,400.
The appellate panel had found the hunt to be “a safe, legal and responsible use of wildlife resources, as well as a legitimate and effective means to control overabundant game species in a cost-effective manner.”
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Hunting is used to manage and control the black bear population in at least 29 other states, including Pennsylvania and New York, the ruling noted.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
