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January 9, 2002

2001 SIX-DAY FIREARM BUCK SEASON

For more information contact:
Al Ivany at 609-292-2084

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife, preliminary harvest estimates were developed for the 2001 Six-Day Firearm or "Buck" Season. Deer harvested during the balance of the six-day season brought the statewide season total to 9,895 deer. This year's harvest was considerably lower than the exceptional harvest of 13,016 bucks registered during the 2001 season and is more in line with totals seen in previous years.

For example, the 1999 total was 10,848; the 1998 total was 10,921; the 1997 total was 11,518 and the 1996 total was 10,035. The average Six-Day Firearm Season total for the past five years was 11,139 deer. This year's total was 11 percent below the five-year average.

The results of this year's season are thought to be attributable to several factors including a reduction in deer populations in agricultural and suburban areas as a result of management programs and antler point restrictions in Quality Deer Management (QDM) zones.

The traditional Six-Day Firearm "Buck" Season is primarily a recreational season, however it also represents about 15 percent of the annual reduction in New Jersey's deer population. The recreational, economic and traditional values of the season are of great importance to New Jersey sportsmen and women who generally enjoy approximately 320,000 hunter-days of recreation during the entire six-day season. During all six deer seasons hunters spend more than $100 million as they enjoy in excess of 1.4 million recreation days hunting deer.

The tradition of buck hunting dates back to the first "bucks-only" season in the year 1909. In 1909 an estimated 62,000 deer hunters harvested a total of 86 antlered bucks. The tradition of this season includes taking only antlered bucks. The other five deer seasons in New Jersey provide for the taking of female deer and play a bigger role in controlling or reducing deer populations. This year's regulations provide for taking antlerless deer during all 138 days of deer hunting in areas with high deer populations and where deer populations are targeted for rapid reductions. For example, permit muzzleloader and permit shotgun hunters were authorized for a second year to take antlerless deer throughout the Six-Day Firearm Season in over half of the state.

2001 Six-day Firearm Season

Preliminary Harvest Estimate for the Entire Season
by Deer Management Zone

Deer
Management
Zone
Preliminary
2001
Harvest
Previous
5-year
Average
1
187
270
2
483
576
3
113
209
4
211
256
5
919
1,076
6
159
296
7
387
435
8
870
959
9
91
188
10
538
529
11
244
312
12
564
598
13
118
238
14
294
317
15
201
223
16
250
241
17
177
189
18
165
163
19
261
261
21
294
274
22
79
94
23
342
308
24
194
172
25
184
191
26
385
350
27
127
183
28
173
162
29
107
159
30
65
84
31
57
63
34
192
226
35
157
228
36
17
40
37
0
10
38
no season
no season
39
44
37
40
no season
no season
41
205
199
42
78
32
43
74
92
45
113
111
46
194
143
47
82
54
48
158
180
49
5
23
50
154
159
51
41
66
52
15
11
53
4
7
54
21
15
55
31
20
56
no season
no season
57
no season
no season
58
no season
no season
59
no season
no season
60
no season
no season
61
7
3
63
18
50
64
no season
no season
65
46
58
66
no season
no season
67
no season
no season
Total
9,895
11,139