New Jersey Hunting Seasons 2025: Dates, License&Regulations

*The season schedules in this post have been updated for 2025 – 2026.

New Jersey is a hunting paradise with a thriving population of game animals, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, geese, and ducks. The New Jersey hunting seasons are ready now.

Here we will list all of the seasons and species that you can hunt in this state, along with important regulations and licenses. Equip yourself with our Kalkal hunting boots and start planning your hunt now!

When is Deer Season in New Jersey?

Last year, over 39,000 deer were harvested in the state. As the new hunting season starts, more and more hunters are excited to gear up for the state’s outdoor activities.

Now, let’s first check out the deer season schedules and what you will need for hunting.

Deer Archery Seasons

Deer Firearm Seasons

Important Rules For Deer Hunting

1. Season dates vary in different hunting zones. Make sure to check the hunting units where you plan to hunt and go on the correct dates.
2. Sunday deer hunting is ONLY legal for Archery deer seasons and only on Wildlife Management Areas and private property.
3. Deer season hunting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
4. Except for a valid hunting license, you need permits to hunt deer, such as Antlerless Permit, Antlered Buck Permit, and Legal Firearm Licenses.
5. Only one antlered buck is allowed per hunter each season.
6. All hunters need to report their deer harvest.

Legal Weapons

• Bow: long, recurve, compound, or crossbow.
• Muzzleloader: rifle ( not less than .44caliber) or smoothbore, single-barrel, single-shot (not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge).
• Shotgun: single or double-barreled, rifled bore or smoothbore (Not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge, hold no more than three shells).

New Jersey Turkey Seasons 2025-2026

The above Spring turkey season is divided into 7 periods with specific dates, and the schedules vary a bit in 2025 – 2026.

Spring Turkey Seasons

⚠️️Due to the turkey population problem, the Fall turkey season is closed statewide in New Jersey.

Turkey Hunting Rules

1. Turkey permits for the Spring Season are distributed through a lottery system (application period: January 25 to February 22).
2. Always avoid wearing clothing that is red, white, or blue. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head, which are the main targets for the hunter.
3. Turkey hunters do not need to wear Hunter Orange during the season.
4. No Sunday hunting allowed for turkey hunts.
5. It is illegal to stalk wild turkeys.
6. Artificial decoys are allowed, but electronic decoys are not allowed.
7. The bag limit is 1 male turkey per day, regardless of how many permits are possessed.
8. Hunters must tag their turkey immediately upon harvest and then report it.

Legal Weapons

Bow: long, recurve, compound, or crossbow.

Shotgun: single or double barrel (Not smaller than 20 gauge and not larger than 10 gauge).

New Jersey Bear Season

• Segment A (Archery  Only): Oct. 13 – 18
• Segment A (Archery  or Muzzleloader): October 16 – 18
• Segment B (Shotgun/Muzzleloader Only): Dec. 8 – 13

Notice that the seasons may close earlier if the harvest rate reaches 30% of all issued bear tags. If the rate is less than 20%, the seasons will be extended from December 17 to December 20.

Important Rules

1. Legal hunting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
2. Each hunter is allowed to hold a maximum of two permits for separate zones, and the bag limit is one bear only, which should be over 75 pounds.
3. Hunter orange is required during bear season.
4. Dogs are not allowed to hunt black bears.
5. Do not hunt bears within 300 feet of a baited location.
6. Hunters must report to a required bear check-in station after harvesting a bear.

Legal Weapons

• Archery: a long or recurve bow with a 35-pound pull at draw length, a compound bow with a 35 pound peak weight, or a crossbow with a 75 pound minimum draw weight.
• Shotgun: Must be between 20 and 10 gauge with rifled slugs and have a maximum capacity of three rounds.
• Muzzleloader Rifle: must be a single-barrel, single-shot firearm of at least .44 caliber.

New Jersey Upland Game Bird Season

Bobwhite Quail Season: Nov. 9 – Jan. 31

Chukar partridge, Hungarian partridge, Pheasant: Nov. 9 – Feb. 17

Youth Upland Bird Day: November 2

Youth Pheasant Days: November 4 – 8

Crow Season

• Aug. 12 – Dec. 7
• Dec. 16 – Mar. 15

Important Rules

1. Hunters need a hunting license and stamps to hunt upland birds
2. An Orange hat is required for the season
3. No Sunday hunting is allowed.
4. Dogs are allowed when hunting pheasant, quail, partridge, crow, and woodcock.

Legal Weapons

• Bow: long, recurve, compound, or crossbow capable of firing a single projectile only (35 pounds pull at archer’s draw length)
• Shotgun: single or double barrel (Not larger than 10 gauge or smaller than .410 caliber)

New Jersey Migratory Bird Seasons

To hunt specific Migratory Birds, a valid hunting license and Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification are required.

Woodcock:

• North Zone: Oct. 18 – Oct. 25 and Oct. 28 – Nov. 29
• South Zone: Nov. 8 – Dec. 6 and Dec. 20 – Jan. 1
• Daily bag limit: 3

Rails and Gallinule:

• Sept. 1 – Nov. 20
• Daily bag limits: Sora and Virginia rails: 25 in total;  Clapper rail: 10 and Gallinule: 1

Snipe:

• Sept. 6 – Jan. 8
• Daily bag limit: 8

Crows:

• Aug. 11 – Nov. 29 and Dec. 15 – Mar. 21 (Mon., Thur., Fri., & Sat.)
• Daily bag limit: None

Important Rules

1. The hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
2. All hunters, including Apprentice License holders, must obtain a HIP certification before hunting waterfowl.
3. No baiting, trap, or net is allowed.
4. Daily bag limits are different for different zones and species:

• Ducks: 6
• Scaup: 1 for the first period; then 2 for the last 20 days
• Coot: 15
• Mergansers: 5
• Brant: 1
• Canada geese: 3( North and South Zones); 2(Coastal Zone)

New Jersey Small Game Season

Coyote, Fox:

• Oct. 4–Nov. 7, 2025 (Bow Only)
• Nov. 8, 2025–Mar. 15, 2026
• Jan. 1–Mar. 15, 2026

Gray Squirrel — Muzzleloading:

• Sept. 27–Nov. 7
• Jan. 3–Feb. 21

Hare, Jackrabbit, Rabbit:

• Sept. 27 –Feb. 21

Opossum and Raccoon (Night Hunting):

• Oct. 1 –Mar. 1, 2026

Woodchuck

• Bow or Shotgun: Mar. 1 – Feb. 21, 2026 (Closed December 7 – 12 and 16)
• Modern or Muzzleloading Rifle: Mar. 1 – Oct. 1, 2025 and Mar. 2 – Sept. 30, 2026

There are some notices for small game hunting:

1. The small game season is divided into daytime hunting and nighttime hunting. The difference is that in night hunting, hunters can only use shotguns as weapons.
2. There is no daily bag limit or season, so hunters can take as many small game. But it is required to report the Coyote harvest on the same day.
3. The legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
4. Dogs are not allowed for small game hunting.

New Jersey Hunting Licenses

In order to go hunting in New Jersey, all hunters need to meet specific license requirements. To begin with, young hunters need to be at least 10 years old. Moreover, a hunter education course completion or a New Jersey or another state resident license is required. Another alternative is to qualify for an Apprentice Hunting License.

Next, let’s check out the license types and fees of each license:

If it is your first time buying a New Jersey hunting license, you must buy it from a licensed agent in person. Make sure to bring a Hunter Education Course Completion Card, or a previous resident hunting license from a different state.

Conclusion

Above all is the summary of New Jersey hunting seasons. Whether you are new to hunting or have a lot of experience, the hunting seasons in New Jersey are exciting.

Before planning your hunting trip, please make sure to properly equip yourself with the necessary knowledge, skills and regulations that are set by the state. Enjoy your Hunt!