i've never had any issues with black bears. >> but other people have. >> there has never been an incident, a serious incident in the state of new jersey with a black bear. not in its history. >> reporter: well, one reason for the fewer bears being killed, jon, could also be there were fewer permits issued. last year there were overred ,000 permits issues, this year just about 6500. jon: so how big a problem are bears? i mean, a tough question to answer, but -- >> reporter: it is. and as you heard, some people say it's not a problem, but the state believes it is and this program is helping to make things safer for residents. they say the population was about 3400 back in 2010, and now they say it's somewhere between 2800 and 3000, and nuisance complaints are down, but the state wants people to know they think there's still a concern for safety. >> we have bears that break into houses, that kill livestock,