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How to track and kill a bear: N.J. hunter gives tips

But as one hunter explained to NJ Advance Media, the process of becoming a hunter and then hunting a bear isn't something taken up on a whim.

Bear hunt in New Jersey: Two sides defend their position

We spoke with bear hunters and protesters to ask them the same four questions. Here are there responses. (Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

John Rogalo, a longtime hunter and the board chairman of the N.J. State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, will be one of those hunters out in the woods this week. He said he primarily hunts for deer but if he and his fellow hunters come upon a bear during the season they'll shoot it.

"We don't actively go looking for them," he said.

However, before getting to the hunting stage, prospective hunters need to complete a few basic -- but time-consuming -- steps:

First step: Get a gun permit

New Jersey residents interested in hunting must first pick up an application for a firearms purchaser identification card from the State Police or their local police department, then go through the application process.

As part of the process, they'll need to submit to a background and criminal record check, a review of mental health records and a review of references. Hunters then need to wait 30 days, at least, for these checks to clear.

If they're successful in obtaining a firearm purchaser ID permit, prospective hunters can take that permit and a valid form of government-issued ID to a hunting or sportsmen store and purchase a gun and ammunition.

N.J. officials opt to extend annual bear hunt by 4 days

N.J. officials opt to extend annual bear hunt by 4 days

Department of Environmental Protection officials say not enough "tagged" bears were killed to effectively reduce the potential for conflicts with people

Second step: Get a gun

The most common weapon used by bear hunters is a shotgun not smaller than 20 gauge. Instead of buckshot, bear hunters use solid bullets of lead, known as slugs. These shotguns, however, are required to have sights or a scope affixed to the gun, per state regulations.

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife also permits the use of muzzleloaders, which are rifles loaded from the front of the gun barrel. Muzzleloaders must be single-barrel, single shot rifles no smaller than .44 caliber. Hunters using a muzzleloader must also have a valid muzzleloader permit to hunt for bear.

While bear hunting, it is illegal for hunters to have in their possession any ammunition or weapon not authorized for bear hunting.

Third: Get a bear hunting permit

An individual who has never hunted in New Jersey before needs to complete the DEP's home study education course, attend a one-day field session with instructors, complete a mandatory live-fire session and pass a written examination. The education courses are free, as they're funded through the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act.

After completing these tasks, a hunter can purchase a license. But in order to hunt bear, a licensed hunter needs to purchase a black bear hunting permit.

Once a hunter has obtained a permit, he can only kill a bear in one of the Division of Fish and Wildlife's approved zones during legal hunting hours through the bear hunting season. Hunters are currently limited to one bear. Next year, hunters will be able to hunt for two bears provided that one bear is killed during the bow hunting season in October and the second is killed during the December firearm season.

Fourth: Have the right clothes, gear

Bear hunters must also wear the proper attire while hunting -- such as a hat of solid fluorescent hunter orange or an outer garment containing at least 200 square inches of fluorescent orange material visible from all sides at all times.

Fifth: Use the right tactics

Rogalo told NJ Advance Media there's three common ways to hunt for bear: baiting, stalking a bear in the woods or using a group of hunters to driving a bear in a specific direction.

"Most of the people who are routinely successful spend a significant amount of time baiting prior to the hunt," he said.

A hunter who baits for a bear can only legally do so in a few ways. It's prohibited to bait for bears in national wildlife refuges, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Cedar Swamp Natural Area at High Point State Park, and within 450 feet of campsites and picnic areas in state parks and forests, but it's allowed on private property or in state parks a significant distance away from areas frequented by people. The hunter, however, cannot be in a constructed blind and needs to be at least 300 feet away from the bait.

Video: Bear hunt protesters gather at Sussex County weigh station

A group of about 30 protesters voiced their collective opinions at the Whittingham Wildlife Management Area in Sussex County on the first day of the state's annual bear hunt. Many dispute the premise that there are too many bears living close to residential areas and that they pose a threat to humans. Biologists from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife estimate that from 2010 to 2013, the bear population was reduced from an estimated 3,400 to 2,500. Officials were hoping for a harvest this season of around 300. (Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

By comparison, walking in the woods and driving a bear requires stalking the bear where it lives.

"They're going to be in swamps or thick cover, they're not going to be in the open woods," Rogalo said.

It is, however, illegal to kill or attempt to kill a bear in a den structure.

Driving a bear is a slightly different tactic. Much like driving a deer, a group of hunters will make a long line in the woods and slowly walk through, driving the animal towards one or two hunters who are in position at the other end of the woods.

Sixth: Getting the bear out of the woods

A hunter needs to work quickly after killing a bear. Typically, this means using a hunting knife to make an incision in the animal's abdomen and removing its internal organs, known as "field dressing." Animals need to be gutted quickly to avoid spoiling the meat.

Hunters then need to affix a black bear transportation tag from their bear hunting permit and take the animal to one of the state's check stations. The transportation tag includes information such as the hunter's name, address, date and time of the kill, nearest road, county and town of the kill, and the sex of the bear.

As hunters said on the opening day of the 2015 bear hunt, getting a bear out of the woods is easier said than done -- and usually requires several hunters working in unison to get the animal to a vehicle.

Hunters operating on private property can use an ATV to aid them in hunting but only if they've received the property owner's permission beforehand. ATV use is typically prohibited in state parks, forests and wildlife management areas but hunters can receive permission from the park superintendent to use an ATV to remove a bear.

After taking the bear to a check station, hunters will be issued a valid possession tag from officials with the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Bear recipes: How to cook what you kill

Bear recipes: How to cook what you kill

The 2015 bear hunt is underway and already bringing in substantially more bears than the past two seasons. But what do you do with the bear afterwards?

Last, but not least: Butchering the bear

Bear meat needs to be butchered within hours of the kill, but the amount of fat on the animal can make the process daunting.

"It's a lot of work because they have so much fat, you have to skin them and get them chilled (as soon as possible)," Rogalo said.

What further complicates efforts is that a bear's muscles are interwoven with fat unlike a deer, he said.

"Bear is not as high quality as venison," Rogalo said. "With a bear, it's better to slow cook it, marinate it or use is as a ground meat."

Rogalo said his cousin found a tasty bear chili recipe which he uses to make tacos.

To assist hunters with their food preparations, the Department of Environmental Protection also released a bear cookbook last year. Some hunters also donate the meat from their kills to soup kitchens, though, venison is a far more popular game meat.

The bear's hide can also be tanned or stuffed as a trophy.