Proposed Amendments to the 2011-2012 Game Code
(Tentatively approved at the October 12, 2010 Fish and Game Council meeting
And summarized from the 19 page Division Document)
The Director of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife with approval of the Fish and Game Council may close any hunting or trapping season to respond to emergencies like a disease outbreak. (The Director currently has the authority to extend seasons if the harvest object has not been met.)
Require all farmers to get a free conservation identification number by January 2012. This will be necessary for farmers to check in deer via the automated deer checking system expected to be implemented in 2012. Many farmers already have a CID.
Add provisions to the game code to regulate possession and movement of deer carcasses during disease outbreaks, such a chronic wasting disease, should they occur.
Rabbits: Extend the rabbit season by five days. The season would end on the last Saturday in February. The season currently ends on the third Monday in February. This change was requested by sportsmen.
Quail: Close the bobwhite quail season except on the Peaslee and Greenwood WMAs and on semi-wild and commercial shooting preserves licensed prior to the close of the 2010 season. The bobwhite quail population has greatly declined in New Jersey and throughout much of its range. Current population levels in NJ have been determined insufficient to maintain the population. A hunting season will be reinstated if the population recovers pursuant to the NJ Northern Bobwhite Action Plan available on the
Division website. Hunting of stocked birds will be allowed to continue as indicated above.
Bobcats: Allow the possession and sale of bobcat pelts and parts in New Jersey, provided that the bobcat was lawfully taken from other US States or Canadian Provinces. All bobcat pelts offered for sale must have a CITES tag. The hunting and trapping of bobcats in NJ remains closed. This change was requested by NJ trappers.
Black Bears: Correct language in the game code to allow hunters to obtain a second, leftover bear permit for a different zone. Eliminate the requirement for bear hunters to take a bear hunting seminar. Bear hunting information will be included in the hunter education courses.
Wild Turkey: Open the fall season on a Saturday
instead of Monday. Allow the taking of turkeys in the fall season by falconry. Change the Turkey Hunting Area boundary for THAs 16 and 22. The change expands THA 22 and includes more area for the fall turkey season. This change was requested by sportsmen from Cumberland and Atlantic Counties.
Beaver Trapping: Increase quotas in zones 20 and 27. Decrease quotas in zones 13 and 19. Require beaver to be immediately tagged upon possession instead of when trap is removed.
Otter Trapping: Correct and clarify regulations. Add penalties for trappers not surrendering otter carcasses to Division. Require otter to be immediately tagged upon possession instead of when trap is removed.
Bow and Arrow: Allow crossbows to be used for taking migratory birds as provided for by Federal regulations. Require flu-flu arrows for taking flying game birds (bow and crossbow).
Falconry: Amend regulations to be in compliance with Federal regulations and other changes related to the taking and possession of falcons.
Fox and Coyote: Open the bow and arrow season with the early bow season and extend the regular season by four weeks. The vast majority of coyotes are taken incidental to deer hunting. Increased opportunity to take coyotes was requested by sportsmen from Atlantic, Burlington, Camden and Cumberland Counties.
Sandhill Cranes: Add sandhill cranes to the list of game species with a closed season. (Not currently on any NJ wildlife list.)
Ground Blinds: Require hunter orange on ground blinds for deer hunting during the firearm deer seasons and for bow hunting when the season overlaps a firearm deer season. Ground blinds are increasing in popularity and the change is being made for safety purposes. This change was requested by Councilman Messeroll. See note below on language of how much orange should be used.
Bow and Arrow: Allow blunts/judo points to be possessed by crossbow hunters for the discharge of crossbows.
Deer: Eliminate the Earn-A-Buck requirement for youth hunters during the early fall bow season. This change was requested by former Councilman Wolgast to promote youth hunting.
Deer: Remove the White Oak WMA from DMZ 25 and add it to DMZ 65 which is primarily comprised of the Winslow WMA. This change removes the area from a zone with a liberal season format and puts it in a zone with a conservative season format. This change was requested by Gloucester County sportsmen.
Deer: Remove a section of Zone 19 and add it to Zone 23. The area had historically been part of Zone 23, but was moved to Zone 19 because of deer damage to agricultural crops in a portion that was privately owned. A large portion of the area is contained in Wharton State Forest. The change removes the area from a zone with a liberal format and puts it in a zone with a conservative format. This change was requested by Burlington County and other sportsmen.
Deer: Create Regulation Set 3a for Zone 6. This change would provide for an unlimited antlerless bag limit for the bow seasons and add the early fall bow season. This change was made to better control the deer population in suburban areas and at the request of sportsmen in Morris County.
Deer: Add Deer Management Zones 28, 30, 31, 34 and 47 to the Antler Point Restriction Program. This change was requested by the South Jersey Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association. A survey of deer hunters in these zones indicated that 71 percent of sportsmen who hunted these zones supported the change. Bucks taken in these zones will have to have at least 3 points on one side. Analysis of harvest information from existing southern NJ APR zones indicates that sportsmen should expect at least a 31 percent decrease in the buck harvest and only a small increase in the harvest of older age class bucks in subsequent years.
There are numerous minor technical and special deer management area changes which will be published in the NJ Register and Division news releases.
Notes: The above changes and other changes not approved were considered at several meetings of the game committee of the Fish and Game Council in 2009-2010. A “stakeholders meeting” was held on September 14, 2010 to introduce the proposals and obtain feedback. The above changes were tentatively approved by the Fish and Game Council on October 12, 2010. The changes will be published in the NJ Register and a 60 day public comment period and public hearing date will be announced for the winter or spring. After review of the public comment and agency response, the Fish and Game Council will vote to approve or not approve
the various proposals and the entire game code in late spring or early summer. The adoption of the proposals and game code will be published in the NJ Register in time for the fall 2011 hunting and trapping seasons.
Ground blind hunter orange proposal: There was some discussion on how much orange would be required in new ground blind proposal. The example given was: “A hunter engaged in gun hunting for deer and utilizing a ground blind, or bowhunter hunting for deer and utilizing a ground blind during a time period when the bowhunting season is concurrent with a deer firearm season, must display 200 square inches of hunter orange atop the blind and visible from all sides, or within 5 feet outside of the blind and higher than the blind or at least 3 feet off the ground.”
(Tentatively approved at the October 12, 2010 Fish and Game Council meeting
And summarized from the 19 page Division Document)
The Director of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife with approval of the Fish and Game Council may close any hunting or trapping season to respond to emergencies like a disease outbreak. (The Director currently has the authority to extend seasons if the harvest object has not been met.)
Require all farmers to get a free conservation identification number by January 2012. This will be necessary for farmers to check in deer via the automated deer checking system expected to be implemented in 2012. Many farmers already have a CID.
Add provisions to the game code to regulate possession and movement of deer carcasses during disease outbreaks, such a chronic wasting disease, should they occur.
Rabbits: Extend the rabbit season by five days. The season would end on the last Saturday in February. The season currently ends on the third Monday in February. This change was requested by sportsmen.
Quail: Close the bobwhite quail season except on the Peaslee and Greenwood WMAs and on semi-wild and commercial shooting preserves licensed prior to the close of the 2010 season. The bobwhite quail population has greatly declined in New Jersey and throughout much of its range. Current population levels in NJ have been determined insufficient to maintain the population. A hunting season will be reinstated if the population recovers pursuant to the NJ Northern Bobwhite Action Plan available on the
Division website. Hunting of stocked birds will be allowed to continue as indicated above.
Bobcats: Allow the possession and sale of bobcat pelts and parts in New Jersey, provided that the bobcat was lawfully taken from other US States or Canadian Provinces. All bobcat pelts offered for sale must have a CITES tag. The hunting and trapping of bobcats in NJ remains closed. This change was requested by NJ trappers.
Black Bears: Correct language in the game code to allow hunters to obtain a second, leftover bear permit for a different zone. Eliminate the requirement for bear hunters to take a bear hunting seminar. Bear hunting information will be included in the hunter education courses.
Wild Turkey: Open the fall season on a Saturday
instead of Monday. Allow the taking of turkeys in the fall season by falconry. Change the Turkey Hunting Area boundary for THAs 16 and 22. The change expands THA 22 and includes more area for the fall turkey season. This change was requested by sportsmen from Cumberland and Atlantic Counties.
Beaver Trapping: Increase quotas in zones 20 and 27. Decrease quotas in zones 13 and 19. Require beaver to be immediately tagged upon possession instead of when trap is removed.
Otter Trapping: Correct and clarify regulations. Add penalties for trappers not surrendering otter carcasses to Division. Require otter to be immediately tagged upon possession instead of when trap is removed.
Bow and Arrow: Allow crossbows to be used for taking migratory birds as provided for by Federal regulations. Require flu-flu arrows for taking flying game birds (bow and crossbow).
Falconry: Amend regulations to be in compliance with Federal regulations and other changes related to the taking and possession of falcons.
Fox and Coyote: Open the bow and arrow season with the early bow season and extend the regular season by four weeks. The vast majority of coyotes are taken incidental to deer hunting. Increased opportunity to take coyotes was requested by sportsmen from Atlantic, Burlington, Camden and Cumberland Counties.
Sandhill Cranes: Add sandhill cranes to the list of game species with a closed season. (Not currently on any NJ wildlife list.)
Ground Blinds: Require hunter orange on ground blinds for deer hunting during the firearm deer seasons and for bow hunting when the season overlaps a firearm deer season. Ground blinds are increasing in popularity and the change is being made for safety purposes. This change was requested by Councilman Messeroll. See note below on language of how much orange should be used.
Bow and Arrow: Allow blunts/judo points to be possessed by crossbow hunters for the discharge of crossbows.
Deer: Eliminate the Earn-A-Buck requirement for youth hunters during the early fall bow season. This change was requested by former Councilman Wolgast to promote youth hunting.
Deer: Remove the White Oak WMA from DMZ 25 and add it to DMZ 65 which is primarily comprised of the Winslow WMA. This change removes the area from a zone with a liberal season format and puts it in a zone with a conservative season format. This change was requested by Gloucester County sportsmen.
Deer: Remove a section of Zone 19 and add it to Zone 23. The area had historically been part of Zone 23, but was moved to Zone 19 because of deer damage to agricultural crops in a portion that was privately owned. A large portion of the area is contained in Wharton State Forest. The change removes the area from a zone with a liberal format and puts it in a zone with a conservative format. This change was requested by Burlington County and other sportsmen.
Deer: Create Regulation Set 3a for Zone 6. This change would provide for an unlimited antlerless bag limit for the bow seasons and add the early fall bow season. This change was made to better control the deer population in suburban areas and at the request of sportsmen in Morris County.
Deer: Add Deer Management Zones 28, 30, 31, 34 and 47 to the Antler Point Restriction Program. This change was requested by the South Jersey Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association. A survey of deer hunters in these zones indicated that 71 percent of sportsmen who hunted these zones supported the change. Bucks taken in these zones will have to have at least 3 points on one side. Analysis of harvest information from existing southern NJ APR zones indicates that sportsmen should expect at least a 31 percent decrease in the buck harvest and only a small increase in the harvest of older age class bucks in subsequent years.
There are numerous minor technical and special deer management area changes which will be published in the NJ Register and Division news releases.
Notes: The above changes and other changes not approved were considered at several meetings of the game committee of the Fish and Game Council in 2009-2010. A “stakeholders meeting” was held on September 14, 2010 to introduce the proposals and obtain feedback. The above changes were tentatively approved by the Fish and Game Council on October 12, 2010. The changes will be published in the NJ Register and a 60 day public comment period and public hearing date will be announced for the winter or spring. After review of the public comment and agency response, the Fish and Game Council will vote to approve or not approve
the various proposals and the entire game code in late spring or early summer. The adoption of the proposals and game code will be published in the NJ Register in time for the fall 2011 hunting and trapping seasons.
Ground blind hunter orange proposal: There was some discussion on how much orange would be required in new ground blind proposal. The example given was: “A hunter engaged in gun hunting for deer and utilizing a ground blind, or bowhunter hunting for deer and utilizing a ground blind during a time period when the bowhunting season is concurrent with a deer firearm season, must display 200 square inches of hunter orange atop the blind and visible from all sides, or within 5 feet outside of the blind and higher than the blind or at least 3 feet off the ground.”
