State officials say New Jersey's state-sanctioned bear hunt resulted in fewer kills than a year ago.

The state Department of Environmental Protection says 469 bears were killed during the six-day hunt in northern New Jersey that ended Saturday. The 2010 hunt yielded 592 bruins.

More than half the bears were killed last Monday, on the hunt's first day.

State wildlife researchers will spend the next several weeks taking blood, hair and DNA samples from the bears to learn more about migration and feeding patterns.

New Jersey is estimated to have about 3,400 black bears within its borders.

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