The bears in NJ love cornfield edges, overgrown autumn olive thickets, swamps and riparian areas but they run all through the open understory woods at will, until they get the memo they are being chased. Generally, thicker is better.
Bears that live near suburbia, and many do, are harder to control since theres a lack of public access and then also 150 yard safety zones that prohibit shooting near occupied structures.
Treestand hunting is the easiest method, if only to get a good view over thick cover, but ground sits along escape routes are also effective and drives can push them out of cover. Stillhunting is possible if it is damp or soft snow, otherwise, you would need to be a ninja to sneak up
on a bear with the ground consisting of crunchy leaves. It’s not uncommon to see multiple bears in one spot, densities are on average pretty high. They are still very active through the first snows, and this year has been mild, but acorns are few this season and so they need to forage alot more.
New Jersey has a lot of thick successional cover, usually invaded with multi-flora rose so wear durable and thick carhart / brush type outerwear, not fleece or knit items. Mechanix type gloves will protect your hands. Even bringing hand clippers that slip in a side pocket is a a wise move for clipping an ambush spot or clearing a thorny tripwire from your path. Knee high waterproof boots are always a help unless you are running the rocky ridges in which case good leather hunting boots are preferred. You want something that will keep all the sticks, thorns, and crap from getting into your socks.
NJ has plenty of ticks, mostly adult deer ticks (1/8th inch or so) this time of year. Treat clothing in advance with that permithrin stuff or just check yourself throroughly each day and wash/dry your gear to eliminate them. I work outside often, don’t even bother with treatment or spray and pick off ticks from my clothes routinely, but am just diligent about checking myself, rarely get a tick stuck in me. But that said, I did get lyme once and it sucked really bad so keep that in mind and keep those ticks from settling in!
Should be an interesting hunt!
Here’s a cool video to warm you up…
