New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

February 8, 2001

Preliminary harvest tallies were developed for the 25-day (most zones) permit bow season. Statewide, a total of 9,227 deer were harvested. The 2000 estimate was within five percent (356 deer) of the record set during last year's permit bow season. Based on the preliminary figures, this year's harvest is the second highest in the 15 year history of the permit bow season. Although the total did not set a record, the 2000 season represented the most "successful" permit bow season in this state's history. The overall success rate in 2000 was estimated at 24.2 percent, surpassing last year's exceptional success rate of 23.9 percent. Put another way, roughly one in four bow hunters were able to bag a deer. This demonstrates how proficient New Jersey bow hunters have become.

County harvest records for the permit bow season were set in Burlington (615 deer), Camden (100 deer), Essex (38 deer), Middlesex (239 deer), Monmouth (568 deer) and Ocean (412 deer) counties. The permit bow season contributes to deer population management because it allows for the taking of antlerless deer. By harvesting a sufficient number of antlerless deer in each zone, populations are maintained in a healthy condition and at levels that minimize conflicts between deer and people. The Division has made a number of changes in recent years designed to increase antlerless deer harvests, provide for more older bucks in the population, to restore a more "natural" ratio of adult males to females and to decrease the deer population on approximately 74 percent of the deer range.

Most increases in deer harvested during the past few permit bow seasons consisted of antlerless deer. Consequently, the permit bow season has made a growing contribution towards the total antlerless deer harvest during all six seasons. Reaching antlerless deer harvest objectives in each zone is critical for effective population management. Overall, the Division's population management objectives are designed to reduce deer populations on 74 percent of the range, stabilize populations on 22 percent and allow for small increases in deer populations on only four percent of the state's deer range (the deer population objective in Zone 24 allowed for a population increase because the average deer density was recently 13 deer per square mile, there is little agricultural or other deer-human conflict and there is a large amount of public land and private land that is open to hunting).

Permit Bow Season Summary

Permit Bow Harvest by Year

2000 Permit Bow Season Harvest Summary
by County

Preliminary Permit Bow Season Deer Harvest
by Zone