New Jersey Deer Management Zone 15: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land
New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 15 covers 110 square miles of Monmouth, Middlesex and Mercer counties. Hunters took 1,072 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, down from 1,090 the year before, and fall bow gave the most, 330. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's High regulation set. 8.5% of the zone is public land, the largest share Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs) (5,331 acres).
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest. Seasons: NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27. Land: PAD-US.
Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)State forest and park landZone 15Neighboring zonesHighway
| Size | 110 square miles |
|---|---|
| Public land | 8.5% (5,961 acres) |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 1,072 |
| Deer taken, 2024-25 | 1,090 |
| Four-season average | 943 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26) |
| Busiest season, 2025-26 | Fall bow (330 deer) |
| 2026-27 rules | High regulation set |
| Deer taken per square mile, 2025-26 | 9.75 (deer taken divided by the zone's area) |
| Wildlife management areas | Assunpink |
How many deer are taken in Zone 15 each season?
1,072 in 2025-26, 18 fewer than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 943. Zone 15 gave 2.8% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.
| Season | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall bow | 330 | 306 | 237 | 278 |
| Permit bow | 227 | 232 | 208 | 186 |
| Permit muzzleloader | 55 | 57 | 48 | 40 |
| Permit shotgun | 254 | 301 | 185 | 163 |
| Six-day firearm | 114 | 87 | 72 | 62 |
| Winter bow | 86 | 98 | 59 | 59 |
| Youth bow day | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Youth firearm day | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| All seasons | 1,072 | 1,090 | 816 | 795 |
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 15 cover?
| County | Acres in Zone 15 | County deer, 2025-26 | County deer, 2024-25 | County deer, 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth County | 43,917 | 3,879 | 3,714 | 2,955 |
| Middlesex County | 19,559 | 1,049 | 997 | 723 |
| Mercer County | 6,656 | 1,503 | 1,753 | 1,402 |
Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 15.
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 15?
| Season | Dates | Bag limit |
|---|---|---|
| Fall bow | September 12 to October 2 (first deer must be antlerless, except youth license holders), then October 3 to 30, 2026 | Unlimited antlerless deer and one antlered deer |
| Youth archery day | September 26, 2026 | One deer of either sex |
| Permit bow | October 31 to December 24 and December 26 to 31, 2026 | Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Bow Permit |
| Youth firearm day | November 21, 2026 | One deer of either sex |
| Six-day firearm | December 7 to 12, 2026 | Two antlered deer |
| Permit muzzleloader | Antlerless 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, 2027 | Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Muzzleloader Permit |
| Permit shotgun | Antlerless 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, 2027 | Unlimited antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Shotgun Permit |
| Winter bow | January 1 to February 20, 2027 | Unlimited 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 15's boundaries?
NJFW's description: "That portion of Monmouth, Mercer and Middlesex Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and Rt. 522 near Jamesburg; then south on the Turnpike to its intersection with Rt. 195; then east on Rt. 195 to its intersection with Rt. 537 near Holmeson; then northeast on Rt. 537 to its intersection with Rt. 522 in Freehold; then northwest on Rt. 522 to its intersection with the New Jersey Turnpike, the point of beginning. Monmouth Battlefield State Park is excluded from this zone."
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 15?
8.5% of Zone 15 is public land: 5,961 of its 70,132 acres. The largest share is Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs), 5,331 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.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs) | 5,331 | 7.6% |
| State forest and park land | 630 | 0.9% |
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 15
| WMA | Acres in Zone 15 | Municipality (NJDEP) |
|---|---|---|
| Assunpink | 5,115 | East Windsor & Robbinsvilles;Roosevelt, Millstone & Upper Freeholds |
Which zones border Zone 15?
| Zone | 2026-27 rules | Square miles | Deer, 2025-26 | Deer, 2024-25 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 14 | High | 320 | 1,443 | 1,615 | 4.4% |
| Zone 16 | Medium | 129 | 811 | 809 | 6.3% |
| Zone 17 | High | 104 | 954 | 973 | 4% |
| Zone 18 | Low | 89 | 359 | 368 | 29.9% |
| Zone 50 | High | 293 | 1,821 | 1,673 | 2% |
| Zone 64 | Special Area | 3 | 45 | 20 | 98.4% |
Highways crossing Zone 15: I-95 (31 miles), NJ 33 (23 miles), I-195 (10 miles), NJ 138 (8 miles), NJ 133 (2 miles) and US 9 (2 miles). Towns inside: Millstone, Manalapan, Roosevelt and Jamesburg.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 15 in 2025-26?
1,072 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 330 in fall bow, 254 in permit shotgun, 227 in permit bow, 114 in six-day firearm. The zone gave 1,090 in 2024-25, 816 in 2023-24 and 795 in 2022-23.
When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 15?
December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 15 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 15?
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 15?
NJFW's description begins: "That portion of Monmouth, Mercer and Middlesex Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and Rt. 522 near Jamesburg." The full boundary is on its zone description page (NJFW Deer Management Zone Descriptions).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest: NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest; earlier seasons' zone tables; NJFW Historic Deer Harvests, 1972 to 2025; NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- Seasons and rules: NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27; NJFW 2026-27 Deer Season Regulation Sets Reference Chart; NJFW Special Area Deer Hunting Regulations. Boundaries: NJFW Deer Management Zone Descriptions.
- Zone map: NJDEP Deer Management Zones (DMZ) in New Jersey. Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1). Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, municipalities (county subdivisions).
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.
New Jersey hunting Zone 14 Zone 16 Zone 17 Zone 18 Zone 50 Zone 64