If you got bashed on the head with those heavy plastic dumpster covers day after day you would develop a thick skull too! Just kidding. We do have some big bears here. I try to shoot small (under 200 pounds) bears that are not dumpster divers as they are better eating. We now can shoot 2 a year, one in October and one in December. October is bow or muzzelloader, December is muzzeloader or shotgun. Governor put a stop to shooting bears on state land so it can be hard for an out of state hunter to find a place to hunt. Best bet is in the federal land along the Delaware River in Sussex and Warren counties. Baiting is legal. Lot of bears in the 300-400 pound range.
I have heard rumors that the Governor of NJ is giving in to the lunatic tree huggers and placing a total ban on bear hunting without any scientific data from Fish&Game.