DMZ 15, New Jersey
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey
- Group
- Zones 10–19
- Area
- 1,179 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 816
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for White-tailed Deer so far. Deer, Turkey also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDMZ 15 covers a wedge of central New Jersey spanning portions of Monmouth, Mercer, and Middlesex counties between the NJ Turnpike, Routes 195, 537, and 522 near Freehold and Jamesburg — a mix of farmland, brushy woodlots, and suburban edges with a solid resident deer herd. Assunpink WMA (6,300+ acres, Mercer/Monmouth border) is the primary block of public land in the zone, offering diverse habitat including mature forest, open fields, and three lakes. Hunters can pursue deer through the full season stack including fall bow, six-day firearm, permit shotgun, and permit muzzleloader, plus spring turkey at Assunpink and nearby properties.
Central NJ agricultural and suburban landscape — rolling cropland, brushy fencerows, mixed hardwood woodlots, and wetland edges. Monmouth Battlefield State Park excluded from DMZ. Assunpink WMA provides a significant block of contiguous habitat with lakes, scrub-shrub, and upland forest.
moderate
Deer: Fall Bow Sept 13 - Oct 31 (antlerless-first rule early season); Permit Bow Nov 1 - Dec 31 (excluding Dec 25); Six-Day Firearm Dec 8-13 (2 antlered deer bag limit); Permit Muzzleloader antlerless-only dates Nov 24-26, 28 and Dec 8-13, either-sex Dec 1-2, Dec 15-16, 20-31, Jan 1 - Feb 14; Permit Shotgun antlerless-only Nov 24-26, 28 and Dec 8-13, either-sex Dec 17-19 and Jan 3 - Feb 14. Regulation Set 8; no firearm restrictions (shotgun/muzzleloader not required — rifle is not legal for deer in NJ generally). No bear hunting — DMZ 15 is in central NJ well outside bear range (Sussex/Warren/Passaic/Morris). Turkey: spring season April-May, Assunpink falls in Turkey Hunting Area 12; lottery permits required, fall season closed statewide.
Assunpink WMA is one of the more accessible and productive public tracts in central NJ, with good deer numbers and stocked pheasant. The zone falls in Regulation Set 8, which allows a Multi-Zone Permit to hunt multiple zones in the set. Antlerless-first rule applies during early Fall Bow (Sept 13 - Oct 3): hunters must harvest an antlerless deer before pursuing an antlered buck. No Sunday deer hunting during any firearm season statewide.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about DMZ 15— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about DMZ 15.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: NJDEP official Deer Management Zones. Community info last updated 23d ago.