New Jersey Deer Management Zone 48: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land
New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 48 covers 115 square miles of Burlington County. Hunters took 783 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, up from 723 the year before, and permit shotgun gave the most, 243. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's High regulation set. 2% of the zone is public land, the largest share state forest and park land (1,496 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 landMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 48Neighboring zonesHighway
| Size | 115 square miles |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2% (1,496 acres) |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 783 |
| Deer taken, 2024-25 | 723 |
| Four-season average | 666 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26) |
| Busiest season, 2025-26 | Permit shotgun (243 deer) |
| 2026-27 rules | High regulation set |
| Deer taken per square mile, 2025-26 | 6.81 (deer taken divided by the zone's area) |
How many deer are taken in Zone 48 each season?
783 in 2025-26, 60 more than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 666. Zone 48 gave 2% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.
| Season | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall bow | 229 | 179 | 161 | 153 |
| Permit bow | 140 | 164 | 126 | 127 |
| Permit muzzleloader | 68 | 59 | 67 | 40 |
| Permit shotgun | 243 | 193 | 129 | 166 |
| Six-day firearm | 80 | 85 | 68 | 67 |
| Winter bow | 20 | 34 | 34 | 13 |
| Youth bow day | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Youth firearm day | 2 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| All seasons | 783 | 723 | 586 | 570 |
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 48 cover?
| County | Acres in Zone 48 | County deer, 2025-26 | County deer, 2024-25 | County deer, 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington County | 73,670 | 3,217 | 3,593 | 2,568 |
Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 48.
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 48?
| 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 48's boundaries?
NJFW's description: "That portion of Burlington County lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 38 near Moorestown; then east along Route 38 to its intersection with Route 530; then east along Route 530 along the Pemberton by-pass to its intersection with the southern boundary of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; then northward along the western Joint Base McGuireDix-Lakehurst boundary to its intersection with County Road 670; then east on County Road 670 to its intersection with Route 545 at Wrightstown; then northwest on Route 545 which becomes Farnsworth Avenue; then continuing northwest on Farnsworth Ave. to its intersection with W. Burlington Street; then southwest on W. Burlington Street to its intersection with Interstate 295; then north on Interstate 295 to its intersection with Crosswicks Creek at Bordentown; then west along the south bank of Crosswicks Creek to its intersection with the Delaware River at Bordentown; then southwest along the east bank of the Delaware River to Route 541 at the City of Burlington; then southeast along Route 541 to its intersection with Interstate 295; then southwest along Interstate 295 to its intersection with Rancocas Creek; then east along Rancocas Creek to its intersection with the New Jersey Turnpike; then southwest along the New Jersey Turnpike to its intersection with Route 38, the point of beginning. New Bold and Burlington Islands lying in the Delaware River are in this zone. Back to top"
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 48?
2% of Zone 48 is public land: 1,496 of its 73,754 acres. The largest share is state forest and park land, 1,496 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 48 |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and park land | 1,496 | 2% |
| Military (closed unless the base allows) | 31 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the zone line from USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1).
Which zones border Zone 48?
| 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 17 | High | 104 | 954 | 973 | 4% |
| Zone 19 | High | 193 | 1,344 | 1,572 | 6.2% |
| Zone 21 | Low | 207 | 388 | 391 | 55.9% |
| Zone 49 | High | 235 | 654 | 671 | 0.1% |
Highways crossing Zone 48: I-295 (24 miles), I-95 (23 miles), US 130 (19 miles), US 206 (15 miles), NJ 68 (11 miles) and NJ 38 (9 miles). Towns inside: Springfield, Burlington, Westampton and Florence.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 48 in 2025-26?
783 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 243 in permit shotgun, 229 in fall bow, 140 in permit bow, 80 in six-day firearm. The zone gave 723 in 2024-25, 586 in 2023-24 and 570 in 2022-23.
When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 48?
December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 48 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 48?
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 48?
NJFW's description begins: "That portion of Burlington County lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 38 near Moorestown." The full boundary is on its zone description page (NJFW Deer Management Zone Descriptions).
Get a New Jersey hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for New Jersey are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, New Jersey included.
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.