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New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land

New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 12 covers 223 square miles of Hunterdon, Somerset and Mercer counties. Hunters took 2,998 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, down from 3,493 the year before, and fall bow gave the most, 1,109. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's High regulation set. 4.3% of the zone is public land, the largest share state forest and park land (5,120 acres).

Data updated October 2026. Harvest: NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest. Seasons: NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27. Land: PAD-US.

Map of New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12: public land by manager, neighboring zones 7, 8, 10, 11 and 13, highways US 202, US 22 and NJ 31 and Hillsborough, Readington and Montgomery

Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)State forest and park landMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 12Neighboring zonesHighway

Zone 12 at a glance
Size223 square miles
Public land4.3% (6,105 acres)
Deer taken, 2025-262,998
Deer taken, 2024-253,493
Four-season average3,128 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26)
Busiest season, 2025-26Fall bow (1,109 deer)
2026-27 rulesHigh regulation set
Deer taken per square mile, 2025-2613.44 (deer taken divided by the zone's area)
Wildlife management areasSouth Branch, Baldwin Lake, Amwell Lake, South Branch Raritan

How many deer are taken in Zone 12 each season?

2,998 in 2025-26, 495 fewer than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 3,128. Zone 12 gave 7.8% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.

Season2025-262024-252023-242022-23
Fall bow1,1091,0801,0081,046
Permit bow643888645671
Permit muzzleloader184261245240
Permit shotgun485708523587
Six-day firearm229207224216
Winter bow341343280318
Youth bow day1201
Youth firearm day6479
All seasons2,9983,4932,9323,088

Sources: NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest; NJFW 2024-25 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest; NJFW 2023-24 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest; NJFW 2022-23 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest. Each table's zone rows add up to its Total row.

Which counties does Zone 12 cover?

CountyAcres in Zone 12County deer, 2025-26County deer, 2024-25County deer, 2021-22
Hunterdon County59,6826,2546,5905,618
Somerset County55,1632,3932,6082,286
Mercer County27,5571,5031,7531,402

Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 12.

When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 12?

SeasonDatesBag limit
Fall bowSeptember 12 to October 2 (first deer must be antlerless, except youth license holders), then October 3 to 30, 2026Unlimited antlerless deer and one antlered deer
Youth archery daySeptember 26, 2026One deer of either sex
Permit bowOctober 31 to December 24 and December 26 to 31, 2026Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Bow Permit
Youth firearm dayNovember 21, 2026One deer of either sex
Six-day firearmDecember 7 to 12, 2026Two antlered deer
Permit muzzleloaderAntlerless only November 23 to 25, 27 and December 7 to 12; either sex November 30, December 1, 14 to 24 and 26 to 31, 2026 and January 1 to February 20, 2027Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Muzzleloader Permit
Permit shotgunAntlerless only November 23 to 25, 27 and December 7 to 12, 2026; either sex December 14 to 18, 2026 and January 1 to February 20, 2027Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Shotgun Permit
Winter bowJanuary 1 to February 20, 2027Unlimited antlerless deer and one antlered deer

Only one antlered buck may be taken per season per hunter, except two in the six-day firearm season. Sunday hunting is legal only in archery seasons and only on WMAs and private land. Deer must be tagged at once and reported by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest.

Sources: NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27; NJFW 2026-27 Deer Season Regulation Sets Reference Chart.

Where are Zone 12's boundaries?

NJFW's description: "That portion of Somerset, Hunterdon and Mercer Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rts. 31 and 22 at Clinton; then east on Rt. 22 to its intersection with Rt. 206 at Somerville; then south along Rt. 206 to its intersection with Rt. 546 at Lawrenceville; then west on Rt. 546 to its intersection with Rt. 31 at the Pennington traffic circle; then north along Rt. 31 to the point of beginning at Clinton. That portion of Round Valley Recreation Area designated as open to deer hunting is included in Zone 12."

Source: NJFW Deer Management Zone Descriptions. NJFW suggests tracing the line on a county map; its Hunting and Trapping Explorer shows it too.

How much public land is in Zone 12?

4.3% of Zone 12 is public land: 6,105 of its 142,402 acres. The largest share is state forest and park land, 5,120 acres. NJFW notes that not every WMA is open to all hunting in every season; state parks and forests set their own rules and allow no Sunday hunting.

ManagerAcresShare of Zone 12
State forest and park land5,1203.6%
Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)9850.7%

Measured by FilledTag inside the zone line from USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1).

Wildlife management areas in Zone 12

WMAAcres in Zone 12Municipality (NJDEP)
South Branch912Multiple Municipalities
Baldwin Lake49Hopewell
Amwell Lake23East Amwell
South Branch Raritan14

Which zones border Zone 12?

Zone2026-27 rulesSquare milesDeer, 2025-26Deer, 2024-25Public land
Zone 7High1331,4181,3778.3%
Zone 8High2622,5812,56710.1%
Zone 10High1402,0472,0451.6%
Zone 11High801,1511,1645.2%
Zone 13High2259919296.8%
Zone 14High3201,4431,6154.4%
Zone 41High4755369614.1%

Highways crossing Zone 12: US 202 (33 miles), US 22 (17 miles), NJ 31 (14 miles), US 206 (7 miles) and NJ 28 (2 miles). Towns inside: Hillsborough, Readington, Montgomery and Clinton.

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 12 in 2025-26?

2,998 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 1,109 in fall bow, 643 in permit bow, 485 in permit shotgun, 341 in winter bow. The zone gave 3,493 in 2024-25, 2,932 in 2023-24 and 3,088 in 2022-23.

When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 12?

December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 12 uses the High regulation set: fall bow September 12 to October 2 (first deer must be antlerless, except youth license holders), then October 3 to 30, 2026, and winter bow January 1 to February 20, 2027 (NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27).

How many antlerless deer can you take in Zone 12?

No limit in most seasons under the High regulation set: fall bow allows unlimited antlerless deer and one antlered deer, and the permit shotgun season allows unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an antlered buck shotgun permit (NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27).

Where is New Jersey Deer Zone 12?

NJFW's description begins: "That portion of Somerset, Hunterdon and Mercer Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rts. 31 and 22 at Clinton." The full boundary is on its zone description page (NJFW Deer Management Zone Descriptions).

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Where these numbers come from

FilledTag is not part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife. Numbers are copied from NJFW, NJDEP and federal sources or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.

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