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New Jersey Deer Management Zone 8: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land

New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 8 covers 262 square miles of Hunterdon, Morris, Warren and Somerset counties. Hunters took 2,581 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, up from 2,567 the year before, and fall bow gave the most, 983. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's High regulation set. 10.1% of the zone is public land, the largest share Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs) (8,683 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 8: public land by manager, neighboring zones 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10, highways I-78, US 46 and I-287 and Tewksbury, Lebanon and Mount Olive

Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)State forest and park landMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 8Neighboring zonesHighway

Zone 8 at a glance
Size262 square miles
Public land10.1% (16,906 acres)
Deer taken, 2025-262,581
Deer taken, 2024-252,567
Four-season average2,589 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26)
Busiest season, 2025-26Fall bow (983 deer)
2026-27 rulesHigh regulation set
Deer taken per square mile, 2025-269.85 (deer taken divided by the zone's area)
Wildlife management areasPequest, South Branch, Musconetcong River, Ken Lockwood Gorge

How many deer are taken in Zone 8 each season?

2,581 in 2025-26, 14 more than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 2,589. Zone 8 gave 6.7% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.

Season2025-262024-252023-242022-23
Fall bow983842795981
Permit bow578655592604
Permit muzzleloader164182174192
Permit shotgun416455420420
Six-day firearm249241294251
Winter bow184183210252
Youth bow day1222
Youth firearm day6799
All seasons2,5812,5672,4962,711

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 8 cover?

CountyAcres in Zone 8County deer, 2025-26County deer, 2024-25County deer, 2021-22
Hunterdon County57,3856,2546,5905,618
Morris County52,8232,4322,1302,115
Warren County35,5593,3543,2993,173
Somerset County22,0122,3932,6082,286

Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 8.

When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 8?

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 8's boundaries?

NJFW's description: "That portion of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Warren Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rts. 22 and 206 near Somerville; then north along Rt. 206 to its intersection with Rt. 80 near Netcong; then west along Rt. 80 to its intersection with Rt. 517 at Allamuchy; then south along Rt. 517 to its intersection with Rt. 46 at Hackettstown; then west along Rt. 46 to its intersection with Rt. 31 at Buttzville; then southeast along Rt. 31 to its intersection with Rt. 22 at Clinton; then east along Rt. 22 to the point of beginning at Somerville. 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 8?

10.1% of Zone 8 is public land: 16,906 of its 167,877 acres. The largest share is Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs), 8,683 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 8
Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)8,6835.2%
State forest and park land8,2234.9%

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 8

WMAAcres in Zone 8Municipality (NJDEP)
Pequest4,569Multiple Municipalities
South Branch883Multiple Municipalities
Musconetcong River603Mutiples, Towns &s
Ken Lockwood Gorge549Clinton & Lebanons
Black River327Chester & Randolphs
Budd Lake75Mount Olive

Which zones border Zone 8?

Zone2026-27 rulesSquare milesDeer, 2025-26Deer, 2024-25Public land
Zone 5Medium2452,2342,22312.9%
Zone 6Medium18495276922%
Zone 7High1331,4181,3778.3%
Zone 9High793693205.4%
Zone 10High1402,0472,0451.6%
Zone 12High2232,9983,4934.3%
Zone 13High2259919296.8%
Zone 14High3201,4431,6154.4%

Highways crossing Zone 8: I-78 (26 miles), US 46 (22 miles), I-287 (16 miles), US 206 (15 miles), US 22 (15 miles) and NJ 57 (10 miles). Towns inside: Tewksbury, Lebanon, Mount Olive and Mansfield.

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 8 in 2025-26?

2,581 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 983 in fall bow, 578 in permit bow, 416 in permit shotgun, 249 in six-day firearm. The zone gave 2,567 in 2024-25, 2,496 in 2023-24 and 2,711 in 2022-23.

When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 8?

December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 8 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 8?

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 8?

NJFW's description begins: "That portion of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Warren Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rts. 22 and 206 near Somerville." 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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