New Jersey publishes deer harvest in a form FDR could rank for 46 hunt units. New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12 is highest at 16.1 deer harvested per square mile in 2024. New Jersey Deer Management Zone 41 has 15.1 in 2024 and New Jersey Deer Management Zone 10 has 14.8 in 2024. Harvest in a hunt unit includes private land, so the public share is shown next to each unit. The rankings describe reported harvest and do not measure access or hunting pressure.
KEY FINDINGS
- New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12 has the highest harvest per square mile at 16.1. The agency reported 3,493 deer on 139,129 acres in 2024.
- 46 hunt units are ranked. Ranks compare areas measured in 2024 and each row shows its own newest year.
- 3 federal areas are ranked on their own. Naval Weapons Station Earle has the highest harvest per square mile at 7.1 in 2024.
New Jersey public land rankings
Best public land in New Jersey
Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2024. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Download all ranked rows (CSV)
Hunt units
Top 15 of 46 ranked hunt units by deer harvest per square mile. Hunt units include private land, so the public share column shows how much of each unit is public land open to hunting.
15 of 46 hunt units shown
| 1 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12 | 139,129 | 2024 | 3,493 | 16.1 | 29.9 | 13.7% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 41 | 29,519 | 2024 | 696 | 15.1 | 9.2 | 20.0% |
| 3 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 10 | 88,419 | 2024 | 2,045 | 14.8 | 9.3 | 6.7% |
| 4 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 11 | 50,552 | 2024 | 1,164 | 14.7 | 5.3 | 6.7% |
| 5 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 7 | 83,114 | 2024 | 1,377 | 10.6 | 14.7 | 11.3% |
| 6 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 15 | 69,174 | 2024 | 1,090 | 10.1 | 13.1 | 12.1% |
| 7 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 8 | 165,781 | 2024 | 2,567 | 9.9 | 41.3 | 16.0% |
| 8 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 17 | 66,030 | 2024 | 973 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 10.4% |
| 9 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 5 | 153,473 | 2024 | 2,223 | 9.3 | 37.6 | 15.7% |
| 10 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 55 | 4,148 | 2024 | 58 | 8.9 | 3.7 | 57.8% |
| 11 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 2 | 113,517 | 2024 | 1,565 | 8.8 | 27.7 | 15.6% |
| 12 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 19 | 121,669 | 2024 | 1,572 | 8.3 | 20.4 | 10.7% |
| 13 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 1 | 45,405 | 2024 | 493 | 6.9 | 30.1 | 42.4% |
| 14 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 31 | 30,311 | 2024 | 307 | 6.5 | 7.9 | 16.7% |
| 15 | New Jersey Deer Management Zone 48 | 71,912 | 2024 | 723 | 6.4 | 4.9 | 4.4% |
Federal areas
Top 3 of 3 ranked federal areas by deer harvest per square mile. Each row shows its own newest year.
3 of 3 federal areas shown
| 1 | Naval Weapons Station Earle | 10,823 | 2024 | 120 | 7.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Picatinny Arsenal | 5,722 | 2024 | 32 | 3.6 |
| 3 | FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center | 5,284 | 2024 | 24 | 2.9 |
01Hunt units
46 hunt units ranked on harvest per square mile
New Jersey Deer Management Zone 12 has the most deer harvested per square mile at 16.1 in 2024. New Jersey Deer Management Zone 41 has 15.1 in 2024 and New Jersey Deer Management Zone 10 has 14.8 in 2024.
The public share is the part of each unit that is public land open to hunting.
02Federal areas
3 federal areas ranked on harvest per square mile
Naval Weapons Station Earle has the most deer harvested per square mile at 7.1 in 2024. Picatinny Arsenal has 3.6 in 2024 and FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center has 2.9 in 2024.
03Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR divided the agency's deer harvest by the area's size to get harvest per square mile. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Ranks compare areas measured in 2024 and each row shows its own newest year.
Success rate is the agency's published figure or harvest divided by hunters. Tied values share a rank and the order uses the unrounded values.
A ranking does not evaluate an individual property and does not confirm that it is open to hunting for you.
Sources
- dep.nj.gov (archived copy)
- dspace.njstatelib.org
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2024. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR rankings are independent analysis of state agency numbers. A ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
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