DMZ 3, New Jersey

Northwestern NJ highlands — mixed hardwood and hemlock-lined ridges, highland lakes and reservoirs (Wanaque, Greenwood Lake), agricultural valley floors, and rocky glaciated terrain. Elevation ranges from valley floors around 400 ft to ridge tops above 1,400 ft. Classic Northeast whitetail habitat with mature forest interior and productive edge cover along farm fields and lake margins.

Substantial public land within or adjacent to the zone: Ringwood State Park (Passaic Co., ~5,000 acres, deer hunting by permit from ranger station), Wawayanda State Park (Sussex/Passaic Co., ~34,000 acres including NJ State Forest land), Sparta Mountain WMA (Sussex Co., ~3,461 acres), Hamburg Mountain WMA (Sussex Co., ~3,644 acres), Wildcat Ridge WMA (Morris Co., ~10,369 acres — largest single WMA in zone), Black River WMA (Morris Co., ~3,078 acres), Rockaway River WMA (Morris Co., ~3,667 acres), Berkshire Valley WMA (Morris Co., ~2,030 acres), Bear Swamp WMA (Sussex Co., ~2,977 acres). Note: Sunday hunting is NOT permitted on State Parks; archery-only on Sundays at WMAs on private land. Private farmland and wooded estates make up the balance of the zone.

moderate-to-high

DEER: APR zone — antlered deer must have minimum 3 points on one side (does not apply to Youth Firearm or Youth Archery days). Fall Bow Sept 13 – Oct 31; Permit Bow Nov 1 – Dec 31; Winter Bow Jan 1 – Feb 21. Youth Firearm Day ~Nov 22; Six-Day Firearm (antlered) Dec 8–13; Permit Shotgun antlerless Nov 24–26, 28 and Dec 8–13; Permit Shotgun either-sex Dec 17–19 and Jan 3 – Feb 14; Permit Muzzleloader Dec 1–2, 15–16, 20–31 and Jan 1–31. Antlerless tags available via permit system; quota varies by year. NJ does not permit rifles for deer statewide — shotgun slugs and muzzleloaders are standard firearm methods. BEAR: Zone falls within NJ black bear core range (Sussex, Morris, Passaic counties consistently rank highest in harvest — Sussex ~127 bears, Morris ~42, Passaic ~20 in 2025 season). Bear hunting runs two one-week segments in Oct and Dec; check current NJDEP black bear zone designations annually as hunt structure can change. TURKEY: Spring gobbler season typically mid-April through May statewide; fall turkey archery available. Zone 3 forested ridges and agricultural edges provide excellent gobbler habitat.

One of NJ's top trophy-potential zones due to APR producing older age-class bucks across multiple seasons. Wildcat Ridge WMA is the largest public tract and offers remote interior hunting. Wawayanda State Park provides vast acreage but requires navigation of heavy cover. Bear hunting is active in the zone — hunters should carry appropriate licenses if targeting bear concurrently with deer. Strong turkey population in spring. Zone 3 is not a special restricted zone so the full suite of deer seasons applies.