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New Jersey Deer Management Zone 9: deer harvest, 2026-27 seasons and public land

New Jersey's Deer Management Zone 9 covers 79 square miles of Morris and Somerset counties. Hunters took 369 deer there in the 2025-26 seasons, up from 320 the year before, and fall bow gave the most, 163. For 2026-27 the zone follows NJFW's High regulation set, and an antlered deer must have at least 3 points on one side. 5.4% of the zone is public land, the largest share Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs) (2,716 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 9: public land by manager, neighboring zones 6, 8 and 13, highways US 206, I-287 and US 202 and Chester, Bernardsville and Peapack and Gladstone

Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)State forest and park landNational wildlife refugeNational Park ServiceMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 9Neighboring zonesHighway

Zone 9 at a glance
Size79 square miles
Public land5.4% (2,716 acres)
Deer taken, 2025-26369
Deer taken, 2024-25320
Four-season average368 a season (2022-23 to 2025-26)
Busiest season, 2025-26Fall bow (163 deer)
2026-27 rulesHigh regulation set
Antler point ruleAn antlered deer needs at least 3 points on one side
Deer taken per square mile, 2025-264.67 (deer taken divided by the zone's area)
Wildlife management areasBlack River

How many deer are taken in Zone 9 each season?

369 in 2025-26, 49 more than in 2024-25; across the four seasons below the zone averaged 368. Zone 9 gave 1% of New Jersey's 38,438 deer in 2025-26.

Season2025-262024-252023-242022-23
Fall bow163130143190
Permit bow108103118103
Permit muzzleloader6131413
Permit shotgun19152721
Six-day firearm24203219
Winter bow48394554
Youth bow day1001
Youth firearm day0013
All seasons369320380404

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 9 cover?

CountyAcres in Zone 9County deer, 2025-26County deer, 2024-25County deer, 2021-22
Morris County31,2202,4322,1302,115
Somerset County19,0742,3932,6082,286

Source: NJFW White-tailed Deer Harvest by County, 2021-22 to 2025-26. County figures cover the whole county, not just Zone 9.

When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 9?

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. In Zone 9 an antlered deer must carry at least 3 points on one side of the rack. 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 9's boundaries?

NJFW's description: "Those portions of Morris and Somerset Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rt. 206 and Rt. 80 near Netcong; then east along Rt. 80 to its intersection with Rt. 46; then east on Rt. 46 to the intersection with Rt. 10 in Ledgewood; then east on Rt. 10 to the intersection with Morris Tpk.; then east and south on Morris Tpk. to Calais Rd.; then west on Calais Rd. to Combs Hollow Rd.; then south on Combs Hollow Rd. to Calais Rd.; then south on Calais Rd. to Mountain Ave. in Mendham; then south and east on Mountain Ave. to Hilltop Rd. (Rt. 525); then south on Rt. 525 to the intersection with Rt. 78; then west on Rt. 78 to the intersection with Rt. 206 near Pluckemin; then north on Rt. 206 to the intersection with Rt. 80 in Netcong, 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 9?

5.4% of Zone 9 is public land: 2,716 of its 50,294 acres. The largest share is Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs), 2,716 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 9
Fish and Wildlife land (WMAs)2,7165.4%

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 9

WMAAcres in Zone 9Municipality (NJDEP)
Black River2,715Chester & Randolphs

Which zones border Zone 9?

Zone2026-27 rulesSquare milesDeer, 2025-26Deer, 2024-25Public land
Zone 6Medium18495276922%
Zone 8High2622,5812,56710.1%
Zone 13High2259919296.8%

Highways crossing Zone 9: US 206 (12 miles), I-287 (9 miles), US 202 (8 miles), NJ 24 (6 miles), I-78 (3 miles) and NJ 10 (2 miles). Towns inside: Chester, Bernardsville, Peapack and Gladstone and Far Hills.

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were taken in New Jersey Deer Zone 9 in 2025-26?

369 (NJFW 2025-26 New Jersey Total Deer Harvest): 163 in fall bow, 108 in permit bow, 48 in winter bow, 24 in six-day firearm. The zone gave 320 in 2024-25, 380 in 2023-24 and 404 in 2022-23.

When is the six-day firearm season in Zone 9?

December 7 to 12, 2026, with a bag limit of two antlered deer, one at a time. Zone 9 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 9?

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). Any antlered deer taken in Zone 9 must have at least 3 antler points on one side.

Where is New Jersey Deer Zone 9?

NJFW's description begins: "Those portions of Morris and Somerset Counties lying within a continuous line beginning at the intersection of Rt. 206 and Rt. 80 near Netcong." 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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