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New Jersey Deer Management Zone 5: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land

New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 5 covers 245 square miles of Warren and Sussex counties. Hunters took 2,234 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, up from 2,223 the year before, and fall bow gave the most, 864. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's Medium regulation set. 12.9% of the zone is public land, the largest share state forest and park land (11,150 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 5: public land by manager, neighboring zones 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7, highways I-80, NJ 94 and US 46 and Blairstown, Stillwater and Knowlton

Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)State forest and park landNational Park ServiceZone 5Neighboring zonesHighway

Zone 5 at a glance
Size245 square miles
Public land12.9% (20,291 acres)
Deer taken, 2025-262,234
Deer taken, 2024-252,223
Four-season average2,360 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26)
Busiest season, 2025-26Fall bow (864 deer)
2026-27 rulesMedium regulation set
Deer taken per square mile, 2025-269.12 (deer taken divided by the zone's area)
Wildlife management areasTrout Brook, Whittingham, Columbia, Paulinskill River

How many deer are taken in Zone 5 each season?

2,234 in 2025-26, 11 more than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 2,360. Zone 5 gave 5.8% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.

Season2025-262024-252023-242022-23
Fall bow864666672862
Permit bow444572593553
Permit muzzleloader234309303327
Permit shotgun265268300326
Six-day firearm349317371448
Winter bow58708592
Youth bow day2035
Youth firearm day18212024
All seasons2,2342,2232,3472,637

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 5 cover?

CountyAcres in Zone 5County deer, 2025-26County deer, 2024-25County deer, 2021-22
Warren County103,2373,3543,2993,173
Sussex County53,6413,9253,7353,329

Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 5.

When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 5?

SeasonDatesBag limit
Fall bowSeptember 12 to October 2 (first deer must be antlerless, except youth license holders), then October 3 to 30, 2026Five 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, 2026Five 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 muzzleloaderNovember 30, December 1, 14 to 24 and 26 to 31, 2026 and January 1 to 9, 2027Five antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Muzzleloader Permit
Permit shotgunDecember 14 to 18, 2026 and January 1 to 16, 2027Five antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an Antlered Buck Shotgun Permit
Winter bowJanuary 1 to 31, 2027Five 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 5's boundaries?

NJFW's description: "That portion of Warren and Sussex Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rt. 521 and Beavans Road at Hampton Township-Franford Township border; then southeast on Rt. 521 to its intersection with Rt. 633; then north on Rt. 633 to its intersection with Rt. 206 in Branchville; then southeast along Rt. 206 to its intersection with Rt. 519 at Branchville; then south along Rt. 519 to its intersection with Rt. 206 at Newton; then south along Rt. 206 to its intersection with Rt. 517 at Andover; then south along Rt. 517 to its intersection with Rt. 46 at Hackettstown; then west along Rt. 46 to its intersection with the Delaware River at Manunkachunk; then north along the east bank of the Delaware River to its intersection with the Zone 4 boundary at the Delaware Water Gap north and west of Quarry Road; then northeast along the base of the Kittatinny Ridge to its intersection with Beavans Road at the Hampton Township–Frankford Township border; then southeast along Beavans Road to its intersection with Rt. 521 at the point of beginning."

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 5?

12.9% of Zone 5 is public land: 20,291 of its 156,909 acres. The largest share is state forest and park land, 11,150 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 5
State forest and park land11,1507.1%
Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)8,3125.3%
National Park Service8290.5%

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 5

WMAAcres in Zone 5Municipality (NJDEP)
Trout Brook1,972Stillwater
Whittingham1,969Fredon & Greens
Columbia1,159Knowlton
Paulinskill River1,123Hampton, Andover & Lafayettes & Town of Newton
Pequest681Multiple Municipalities
Beaver Brook653Knowlton & Whites
White Lake553Frelinghuysen & Hardwicks
Honey Run134Hope
Bear Swamp49Frankford & Hamptons

Which zones border Zone 5?

Zone2026-27 rulesSquare milesDeer, 2025-26Deer, 2024-25Public land
Zone 1Low7350049340.4%
Zone 2Medium1801,5971,56513%
Zone 4Low7654945087.8%
Zone 6Medium18495276922%
Zone 7High1331,4181,3778.3%
Zone 8High2622,5812,56710.1%

Highways crossing Zone 5: I-80 (37 miles), NJ 94 (23 miles), US 46 (8 miles) and NJ 163 (3 miles). Towns inside: Blairstown, Stillwater, Knowlton and Hampton.

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 5 in 2025-26?

2,234 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 864 in fall bow, 444 in permit bow, 349 in six-day firearm, 265 in permit shotgun. The zone gave 2,223 in 2024-25, 2,347 in 2023-24 and 2,637 in 2022-23.

When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 5?

December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 5 uses the Medium 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 31, 2027 (NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27).

How many antlerless deer can you take in Zone 5?

Five per season under the Medium regulation set: fall bow allows five antlerless deer and one antlered deer, and the permit shotgun season allows five antlerless deer; one antlered deer with an antlered buck shotgun permit (NJFW Deer Seasons 2026-27).

Where is New Jersey Deer Zone 5?

NJFW's description begins: "That portion of Warren and Sussex Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rt. 521 and Beavans Road at Hampton Township-Franford Township border." 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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