By Ed Cartier
When I’m on a bird hunt, in a big-game camp, or just in an out-of-state gun shop, and I mention that I’m from New Jersey, the gun shop owners usually offer their condolences. Other hunters ask, “What exit?” and the deer hunters ask, “What deer zone?” That’s when I need to get a map out to find out exactly where I live.
Although not often recognized as a deer-hunting hotbed, New Jersey actually offers a deer season full of opportunities. In order to develop its deer season frameworks, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) studies which areas have an excess population of deer, which do not, and which areas have a proper balance of deer and habitat. That information, which is collected on an ongoing basis, is used to establish hunting seasons, extended permit seasons, and bag limits.
Unlike other states, none of the above is uniform across New Jersey.
