DMZ 17, New Jersey
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey
- Group
- Zones 10–19
- Area
- 1,121 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 833
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 17 spans Mercer, Monmouth, Burlington, and Ocean counties in central New Jersey, encompassing the Pinelands fringe and suburban-rural interface near Princeton and Trenton. The zone holds strong deer numbers and offers solid public-land opportunity at Colliers Mills, Pleasant Run, and Prospertown Lake WMAs amid classic pitch pine, scrub oak, and cedar swamp habitat. Hunters must take an antlerless deer before pursuing an antlered buck during the early Fall Bow period (Sept. 13–Oct. 3).
Pitch pine and scrub oak uplands with Atlantic white cedar swamps, former cranberry bog impoundments, and hardwood drainages typical of the Pinelands fringe; flat to gently rolling, often wet lowlands interspersed with managed fields and mill ponds
moderate
Deer: Regulation Set 7 applies. Fall Bow Sept. 13–Oct. 31 (antlerless deer must be taken first Sept. 13–Oct. 3 before pursuing antlered buck); Permit Bow Nov. 1–Dec. 24 and Dec. 26–Dec. 31, 2025, then Jan. 1–Feb. 21, 2026; Six-Day Firearm (shotgun) Dec. 8–13, 2025 (2 antlered deer limit statewide); Permit Shotgun antlerless-only Dec. 8–13 then either-sex Dec. 17–19 and Jan. 3–Feb. 14, 2026; Permit Muzzleloader antlerless-only Dec. 8–13 then either-sex Dec. 1–2, Dec. 15–16, Dec. 20–31, and Jan. 1–Feb. 14, 2026; Winter Bow Jan. 1–Feb. 21, 2026. Bag limits: unlimited antlerless plus 1 antlered per season for archery/muzzleloader/shotgun permit seasons. Antlerless zone permit required ($28 adult/$12 youth). No rifle deer hunting in NJ — shotgun/muzzleloader only for firearm seasons. Bear: No bear hunting — DMZ 17 is in central/south-central NJ (Mercer/Burlington/Monmouth/Ocean counties), well outside the northern NJ bear range (Sussex/Warren/Passaic/Morris counties). Turkey: Spring gobbler season 2026 runs April 18–May 22 with multiple lottery permit periods (apply Jan. 25–Feb. 22); permits are Turkey Hunting Area-specific — check THA boundaries for Colliers Mills and surrounding WMAs; one male turkey per day bag limit; fall turkey season closed statewide 2025-26.
Colliers Mills WMA is the flagship public-land destination — nearly 13,000 acres of diverse Pinelands habitat supporting deer, turkey, waterfowl, and small game. Zone supports robust deer population per NJDEP; DMZs 17 and 18 are noted for excellent hunting opportunity. Early bow season antlerless-first rule incentivizes early-season doe harvest.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about DMZ 17— 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 17.
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Boundaries: NJDEP official Deer Management Zones. Community info last updated 23d ago.