New Jersey

Remarkable whitetail density, Pine Barrens wilderness tracts, and Atlantic coastal marsh flyways.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in New Jersey

Official Regulatory Authority

New Jersey Fish & Wildlife (NJDEP)

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife manages more than 350,000 acres across 122 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) statewide, complemented by 450,000+ acres of State Forests and Parks (including the vast Wharton, Brendan T. Byrne, and Stokes State Forests). Despite being the nation's most densely populated state, New Jersey provides immense, contiguous wilderness tracts from the pitch pine forests of the Pine Barrens to the rocky hemlock ridges of the Kittatinny Mountains and expansive Atlantic coastal salt marshes.

Pinelands National Reserve | 125,000+ Public Acres

Wharton State Forest & Pine Barrens WMAs

Located in Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties in the core of the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. Endless pitch pine barrens, scrub oak ridges, and tea-colored cedar swamps provide expansive, wild hunting for whitetail deer (especially traditional drive hunting), wild turkey, woodcock, and gray squirrel.

Kittatinny Ridge & High Point | 85,000+ Public Acres

Delaware Water Gap & Stokes State Forest

Spanning Sussex and Warren counties along the Appalachian Trail and Kittatinny Mountain ridge. Rugged mountain terrain, oak-hemlock ravines, and glacial boulders support New Jersey's dense black bear population, trophy whitetail deer, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse.

Central Agricultural-Forest Transition | 18,000+ Acres Combined

Assunpink & Colliers Mills WMAs

Assunpink WMA (6,300 acres) in Monmouth and Mercer counties features lakes, grasslands, and agricultural fields highly popular for stocked pheasant hunting, mourning dove, and waterfowl. Colliers Mills WMA (12,000 acres) in Ocean County offers pine-oak forests and impoundments for deer and waterfowl.

Southern Tidal Salt Marsh & Pine Uplands | 30,000+ Acres Combined

Tuckahoe (MacNamara) & Millville (Union Lake) WMAs

Tuckahoe WMA (12,000 acres) in Atlantic and Cape May counties features iconic coastal impoundments and salt marshes for black ducks, mallards, and rails. Millville WMA (20,000 acres) in Cumberland County provides expansive upland pine-hardwood habitat for deer, quail, and woodcock.

Northern Hardwood Valleys | 7,000+ Acres Combined

Pequest & Flatbrook-Roy WMAs

Pequest WMA (4,400 acres) in Warren County surrounds the state trout hatchery and Pequest River with limestone woodlots and rolling hills. Flatbrook-Roy WMA (2,400 acres) in Sussex County offers exceptional stocked pheasant hunting, wild turkey, and archery whitetail deer.