The 2024 New Jersey hunting seasons will be started soon. Here we will list all of the seasons and species that you can hunt in this state, along with important regulations and licenses.
New Jersey is a hunting paradise with a thriving population of game animals including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, geese, and ducks. The variety of terrain and abundance of wildlife are suitable for both experienced hunters and beginners.
Hunting in New Jersey plays a role in wildlife management by helping regulate animal populations and promoting the health of ecosystems. Therefore, hunting in New Jersey is both a fun activity and a way to protect the natural environment. Equip yourself and start planning your hunt now!
New Jersey Deer Season
| Seasons | Dates | Zones | Bag Limits |
| Fall Bow | Sept. 14–Sept. 27 Sept. 28–Oct. 25 |
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 36, 41, 49, 50, 51 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered |
| 5, 19, 25, 42, 48 | 9 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 2, 16, 27, 28, 29, 31, 35, 47 | 5 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 6 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| Youth Day Archery | Sept. 21, 2024 | 30, 55, 63, 65 | 2 antlerless OR 1 antlerless and 1 antlered |
| 1, 3, 4, 18, 22, 26 | 1 antlered and 1 antlerless | ||
| 21, 23, 24, 34*, 43, 45, 46 | 1 deer only (either sex) | ||
| Permit Bow | Oct. 26–Dec. 24 Dec. 26–Dec. 31 |
10, 11, 13*, 14, 15, 36, 49, 50, 51 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered |
| 7, 8, 9*, 12, 17, 41 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 5, 19, 25, 42, 48 | 9 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 2, 16, 27, 28, 29, 31, 35, 47 | 5 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 6 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| Oct. 26–Nov. 24 | 30, 55, 63, 65 | 2 antlerless OR 1 antlerless and 1 antlered | |
| 1, 3, 4, 18, 22, 26 | 1 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| Oct. 26–Nov. 23 | 21, 23, 24, 34, 43, 45, 46 | 1 deer only (either sex) | |
| Winter Bow | Jan. 1–Feb. 15, 2025 | 7, 8, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 13*, 14, 15, 17, 36, 41, 49, 50, 51 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered |
| Jan. 1–Jan. 31, 2025 | 5, 19, 25, 42, 48 | 9 antlerless and 1 antlered | |
| 2, 16, 27*, 28*, 29*, 31*, 35*, 47* | 5 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 6 | Unlimited antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 30*, 55, 63*, 65 | 2 antlerless OR 1 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 1, 3*, 4, 18, 22, 26 | 1 antlerless and 1 antlered | ||
| 21, 23, 24, 34*, 43, 45, 46 | 1 deer only (can be either sex) |
Important Rules
- Different hunting zones have different hunting seasons. Make sure to check the hunting units where you will go on the correct dates.
- Sunday deer hunting is ONLY legal for Archery deer seasons and only on Wildlife Management Areas and private property.
- Deer season hunting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
- Except for a valid hunting license, you need permits to hunt deer, such as Antlerless Permit, Antlered Buck Permit and Legal Firearm Licenses.
- Only One antlered buck is allowed per hunter each season.
Legal Weapons
Bow: long, recurve, compound, or crossbow.
Muzzleloader: rifle ( not less than .44caliber) or smoothbore, single-barrel, single-shot (not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge).
Shotgun: single or double barrel, rifled bore or smoothbore (Not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge, hold no more than three shells).
New Jersey Turkey Season
Youth Turkey Season
- April 19, 2025
Period Y (ages 10–16)
- Apr. 19–May 10, 2025
- May 12–May 23, 2025
Period A (M–F)
- Apr. 21–25, 2025
Period B (M–F)
- Apr. 28–May 2, 2025
Period C (M–F)
- May 5–9, 2025
Period D (M–F)
- May 12–16, 2025
- May 19–23, 2025
Period E (Saturdays)
- Apr. 26; May 3, 10, 17, 2025
The Spring turkey season is divided into 5 periods with specific dates. Yet, the season date of the 2025 Fall Turkey season hasn’t been released yet. We will keep you updated when it is available.
Important Rules
- Turkey permits for the Spring Season are distributed through a lottery system (application period: January 25–February 22).
- Always avoid wearing clothing that is red, white, or blue. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head, which are the main targets for the hunter.
- Turkey hunters do not need to wear Hunter Orange during the season.
- It is illegal to stalk wild turkeys.
- Artificial decoys are allowed, but electronic decoys are not allowed.
- The bag limit is 1 male turkey per day regardless of how many permits are possessed.
- Hunters must tag their turkey immediately upon harvest and then report it.
Legal Weapons
Bow: long, recurve, compound, or crossbow.
Shotgun: single or double barrel (Not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge).
New Jersey Bear Season
- Segment A: Oct. 9 – 14
- Segment B: Dec. 4 – 9
- Segment B Extension: Dec. 13– Dec. 16
Important Rules
- Each hunter is allowed to hold a maximum of two permits for separate zones, with the restriction of harvesting only one bear per zone.
- Hunter orange is required during bear season.
- Dogs are not allowed to hunt black bear.
- Do not hunt bears within 300 feet of a baited location.
- Hunters must report to a required bear check-in station after harvesting a bear.
Legal Weapons
Archery: a long or recurve bow with a 35 pound pull at draw length, a compound bow with a 35 pound peak weight, or a crossbow with a 75 pound minimum draw weight.
Shotgun: Must be between 20 and 10 gauge with rifled slugs and have a maximum capacity of three rounds.
Muzzleloader Rifle: must be a single-barrel, single-shot firearm of at least .44 caliber.
New Jersey Upland Game Bird Season
Bobwhite Quail Season
- Nov. 11, 2023 at 8 a.m.–Jan. 31, 2024
Chukar partridge, Hungarian partridge, Pheasant
- Nov. 11, 2023 at 8 a.m.–Feb. 19, 2024
Youth Upland Bird Day
- Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
Youth Pheasant Days
- Nov. 6–10, 2023
Crow Season
- Aug. 12 – Dec. 7
- Dec. 16 – Mar. 15
Important Rules
- Hunters need a hunting license and stamps to hunt upland birds
- An Orange hat is required for the season
- No Sunday hunting is allowed.
- Dogs are allowed when hunting pheasant, quail, partridge, crow, and woodcock.
Legal Weapons
Bow: long, recurve, compound or crossbow capable of firing a single projectile only (35 pounds pull at archer’s draw length)
Shotgun: single or double barrel (Not larger than 10 gauge or smaller than .410 caliber)
New Jersey Waterfowl Season
To hunt specific Migratory Birds, a valid hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification are required.
|
New Jersey Duck Seasons 2024-25 |
|||
| Season | North Zone | South Zone | Coastal Zone |
| Youth Only Day | Oct.5 | Oct.12 | Oct.26 |
| Youth & Veterans/Active Military | Feb. 1 | Feb. 1 | Feb. 1 |
| Veterans/Active Military Only Day | Nov. 2 | Nov. 2 | Nov. 2 |
| Duck Season | Oct.12 – 19 Nov. 16 – Jan. 16 |
Oct.19 – 26 Nov. 23 – Jan. 23 |
Nov.9 – 13 Nov.28 – Jan. 31 |
| Scaup | Oct. 12 – Oct. 19 Nov. 16 – Dec. 24 Dec. 25 – Jan. 16 |
Oct. 19 – Oct. 26 Nov. 23 – Dec. 31 Jan. 1 – Jan. 23 |
Nov. 9 – Nov. 13 Nov. 28 – Jan. 8 Jan. 9 – Jan. 31 |
| Brant | Nov. 16 – Nov. 30 Dec. 14 – Jan. 2 |
Nov. 23 – Nov. 30 Dec. 14 – Jan. 9 |
Nov. 28 – Dec. 7 Dec. 14 – Jan. 7 |
| Canada Goose | Nov. 28 – Nov. 30 Dec. 26 – Jan. 25 |
Nov. 28 – Nov. 30 Dec. 26 – Jan. 25 |
Nov.9 – 13 Nov.28 – Jan. 31 |
Important Rules
- The hunting hour is 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
- All hunters, including Apprentice License holders, must obtain a HIP certification before hunting waterfowl.
- No baiting, trap, or net is allowed.
- Daily bag limits are different for different zones and species:
- Ducks: 6
- Scaup: 1 for the first period; then 2 for the last 20 days
- Coot: 15
- Mergansers: 5
- Brant: 1
- Canada geese: 3( North and South Zones); 2(Coastal Zone)
New Jersey Small Game Season
Coyote, Fox:
- Jan. 1–Mar. 15, 2024
Gray Squirrel — Muzzleloading:
- Sept. 30–Nov. 10
- Jan. 6–Feb. 24
Hare, Jackrabbit, Rabbit:
- Sept. 30 –Feb. 24
- Nov. 11
Opossum and Raccoon (Night Hunting):
- Oct. 2 –Mar. 1
There are some notices for small game hunting:
- The small game season is divided into daytime hunting and nighttime hunting. The difference is that in night hunting, hunters can only use shotgun as weapon.
- There is no daily bag limit or season so hunters can take as many as small games. But it is required to report the Coyote harvest on the same day.
- The legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
- Dogs are not allowed for small game hunting.
New Jersey Hunting Licenses
In order to go hunting in New Jersey, all hunters need to meet specific license requirements. To begin with, young hunters need to be at least 10 years old. Moreover, a hunter education course completion or a New Jersey or another state resident license is required. Another alternative is to qualify for an Apprentice Hunting License.
Next, let’s check out the license types and fees of each license:
|
Resident Licenses |
|
| BOW & ARROW RESIDENT | $31.50 |
| BOW & ARROW SR. RESIDENT | $16.50 |
| FIREARM RESIDENT (Age 16-64) | $27.50 |
| FIREARM SR. RESIDENT (Age 65+) | $15.50 |
| ALL AROUND SPORTSMAN (Combines Resident Firearm, Bow & Arrow and Fishing License) | $72.25 |
| ALL AROUND SPORTSMAN (With Buddy Fishing License) | $62.25 |
|
Non-Resident Licenses |
|
| BOW & ARROW NON RESIDENT | $135.50 |
| FIREARM NON RESIDENT | $135.50 |
| NON-RESIDENT 2 DAY SMALL GAME FIREARM | $36.50 |
If it is your first time buying a New Jersey hunting license, you must buy it from a licensed agent in person. Make sure to bring a Hunter Education Course Completion Card, or a previous resident hunting license from a different state.
Conclusion
Above all is the summary of New Jersey hunting seasons. Whether you are new to hunting or have a lot of experience, the hunting seasons in New Jersey are exciting. Before planning your hunting trip, please make sure to properly equip yourself with the necessary knowledge, skills and regulations that are set by the state. Enjoy your Hunt!
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