September 25, 2002

The Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds hunters that the 2002 New Jersey fall bow season for deer will open September 28 in most zones throughout the State. The fall bow season extends to Oct. 25. Bag limits vary by zone. Hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset.

All bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds at the archer's draw length, except compounds, which must have a minimum peak draw weight of 35 pounds. All arrows used for deer hunting must be fitted with a well-sharpened metal head with a minimum width of ¾ inches.

Hunters should review current regulations in the August hunting issue of the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest before going afield. Special attention should be paid to the deer hunting Regulation Sets found on pages 29 through 32, which provide information on bag limits and special conditions.

All 2002 hunting licenses include tear-off antlered buck stubs. A hunter who takes an antlered buck must date, initial and attach a buck stub along with a transportation tag to the deer before transporting it to the deer check station. Upon checking the deer, the buck stub and the transportation tag must be surrendered to the check station operator. Conservation officers have noticed that some hunters are leaving their buck stubs attached to transportation tags completed for antlerless deer. Hunters should carefully examine both sides of their license when completing and detaching transportation tags for antlerless deer to ensure they do not detach a buck stub from the license until needed to tag a buck.