New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife |
January 9, 2002
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.
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
|