I don't carry it.
Maybe if you were in grizzly bear country you would want to carry bear spray. Black bears are just big pussies. Your bag should have a built in whistle on the strap. If not, get one. If you see a bear make noise, a lot of noise
And for the love of God, don't hang a bells on your pack. I'll make fun of you. I promise it. There's no need to announce to the bears diner is coming right up.
As far as I can tell, there was only one bear caused fatality in NJ
https://www.nj.com/passaic-county/2014/10/west_milford_fatal_bear_attack_details_emerge_from_unredacted_documents.html
Watch out for copperheads and timber rattlers; not because they are aggressive, they aren't, but because if feeling threatened, they'll try to defend themselves. But mostly what you'll see will be garter, rat and water snakes.