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New Jersey · 2026-27 season year

New Jersey Deer Season 2026-27

Fall Bow: September 12, 2026 to October 30, 2026. Six-Day Firearm: December 7, 2026 to December 12, 2026. Every date below was read from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 2, 2026.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
September 12, 2026 to October 30, 2026
Fall Bow
published
December 7, 2026 to December 12, 2026
Six-Day Firearm
published
November 23, 2026 to February 20, 2027
Permit Muzzleloader
published
3 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
The four questions in one

New Jersey deer seasons, 2026-27

“When does deer season open” is four questions wearing one coat. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife dates white-tailed deer seasons separately by weapon, so each one is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Fall Bow

published

Fall Bow is OPEN now in the Regulation Set High, through October 30, 2026, with 3 zone segments open.

New Jersey fall bow, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Set HighSeptember 12, 2026October 30, 2026The agency splits this window into two dated periods with different rules
Regulation Set MediumSeptember 12, 2026October 30, 2026The agency splits this window into two dated periods with different rules
Regulation Set LowOctober 3, 2026October 30, 2026

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

New Jersey rebuilt its deer zone structure for 2026-27, cutting nine regulation sets down to four (High, Medium, Low and a Safety set the agency says does not apply this season year) and aligning the dates. Permit Bow and Winter Bow are separately dated and are listed under other seasons.

Six-Day Firearm

published

Six-Day Firearm opens in 49 days, on December 7, 2026 (Regulation Sets High, Medium and Low).

New Jersey six-day firearm, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Sets High, Medium and LowDecember 7, 2026December 12, 2026The same six days in every set

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The six day firearm season is the one deer window New Jersey runs on identical dates in every regulation set. The separately dated Permit Shotgun season is under other seasons.

Permit Muzzleloader

published

Permit Muzzleloader opens in 35 days, on November 23, 2026 (Regulation Set High).

New Jersey permit muzzleloader, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Set High (segment 1)November 23, 2026November 25, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 2)November 27, 2026November 27, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 3)November 30, 2026December 1, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 4)December 7, 2026December 12, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 5)December 14, 2026December 24, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 6)December 26, 2026February 20, 2027
Regulation Set Medium (segment 1)November 30, 2026December 1, 2026
Regulation Set Medium (segment 2)December 14, 2026December 24, 2026
Regulation Set Medium (segment 3)December 26, 2026January 9, 2027
Regulation Set Low (segment 1)November 30, 2026December 1, 2026Closed in Zones 45 and 46
Regulation Set Low (segment 2)December 14, 2026December 15, 2026
Regulation Set Low (segment 3)December 19, 2026December 24, 2026
Regulation Set Low (segment 4)December 26, 2026January 9, 2027

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The permit muzzleloader season is New Jersey's most broken up calendar, running as a string of separate day blocks through late November, December and into the new year. The agency's own table is the place to check a specific date.

Youth Archery Day and Youth Firearm Day

published

Youth Archery Day and Youth Firearm Day opens in 33 days, on November 21, 2026 (Regulation Sets High, Medium and Low).

New Jersey youth archery day and youth firearm day, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Sets High, Medium and Low (segment 1)September 26, 2026September 26, 2026Two single days, the same in every set
Regulation Sets High, Medium and Low (segment 2)November 21, 2026November 21, 2026

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

New Jersey runs two single youth days rather than a youth season, one for archery in September and one for firearms in November, on the same dates in every regulation set.

For which days to sit, the New Jersey deer movement forecast rates the next 7 days Slow to Prime from the weather and first light.

Sunday deer hunting ONLY legal for Archery deer seasons and only on WMAs and private property.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, read September 2, 2026. Read it at the source
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The rest of the calendar

Other New Jersey deer seasons the agency names

Beyond the four main windows, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife dates 3 further seasons for deer. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a tag actually covers.

Permit Bow

published

Permit Bow opens in 12 days, on October 31, 2026 (Regulation Set High).

New Jersey permit bow, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Set High (segment 1)October 31, 2026December 24, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 2)December 26, 2026December 31, 2026
Regulation Set Medium (segment 1)October 31, 2026December 24, 2026
Regulation Set Medium (segment 2)December 26, 2026December 31, 2026
Regulation Set LowOctober 31, 2026November 29, 2026Closed in Zones 45 and 46

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The long autumn permit bow window, which picks up the day after fall bow closes.

Permit Shotgun

published

Permit Shotgun opens in 35 days, on November 23, 2026 (Regulation Set High).

New Jersey permit shotgun, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Set High (segment 1)November 23, 2026November 25, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 2)November 27, 2026November 27, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 3)December 7, 2026December 12, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 4)December 14, 2026December 18, 2026
Regulation Set High (segment 5)January 1, 2027February 20, 2027
Regulation Set Medium (segment 1)December 14, 2026December 18, 2026
Regulation Set Medium (segment 2)January 1, 2027January 16, 2027
Regulation Set LowDecember 16, 2026December 18, 2026Closed in Zones 45 and 46

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

A separately permitted shotgun season, longest in the High set and only three days in the Low set.

Winter Bow

published

Winter Bow opens in 74 days, on January 1, 2027 (Regulation Set High).

New Jersey winter bow, as published by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Regulation Set HighJanuary 1, 2027February 20, 2027
Regulation Set MediumJanuary 1, 2027January 31, 2027
Regulation Set LowJanuary 1, 2027January 31, 2027

Dates read from Deer Seasons 2026-27, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The last deer window of the New Jersey season year, running to late February in the High set.

Zones

New Jersey deer zones

New Jersey does not have a deer season. It has 3 of them, and the boundaries between them were drawn by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife along highways, rivers and county fragments rather than anything you can see from a stand. In several states those boundaries are not even the same from one weapon season to the next.

This page publishes the agency’s zone names and links the agency’s own zone map, which is where a hunter’s zone is determined. A wrong zone answer is a wrong season date.

Alert white-tailed buck standing in bare late fall brush at dusk
A buck on the move in bare November brush at Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. Photo: Liz Julian/USFWS. “White-tailed Deer, Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota” — Liz Julian / USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain
Rules

New Jersey deer hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current New Jersey regulations

Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours, tagging and reporting, and license and permit requirements for New Jersey are set by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife: current regulations
Two hunters in blaze orange and camouflage beside a wheelchair at the edge of bare winter woods, one helping the other with gear
Getting ready at the edge of the winter woods on a mobility assisted deer hunt. Many states date a season specifically for hunters with disabilities, and those windows are on the state pages. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. “USMC-11410” — U.S. Marine Corps (official photo, marines.mil) — Public domain

Deer season dates in other states

New Jersey deer movement forecastThe next 7 days rated Slow to Prime for deer movement, from the forecast and first light.New Jersey deer rutThe biology beside the calendar: when deer actually breed here, from the agency conception studies. Dates are this page; the rut is that one.New Jersey turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.New Jersey duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.New Jersey fall foliagePeak color and the archery weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

New Jersey deer season questions

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Buck with antlers in velvet standing in tall summer grass in golden light
A buck still in velvet in late summer. The earliest archery openers land within weeks of antlers hardening. “White-tailed Deer Buck in Velvet (48804848567)” — USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife page linked beside it, read on September 2, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours and license rules are set by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national deer season guide and the New Jersey rut timing page.