Crop damage deer removal in New Jersey

What does a New Jersey farm depredation permit allow?

• Either-sex deer, at any time of day or night, on the cultivated land named in the permit, never on or along a public road.
• Spotlights and vehicle lights to locate deer, and firearms carried unloaded and uncased in a vehicle.
• Drivers and light holders who do not need a Firearms Purchaser ID card.
• On request, coverage for all of February and March.

What are the conditions?

• Division staff inspect the farm before a firearm permit issues.
• No shooting from a vehicle.
• No loaded firearm within 450 feet of an occupied building or school playground without the owner’s written OK in hand.
• Daily written records of all shooting, and a report within two weeks after the permit ends.
• No sale of deer. The Division may let the farmer keep up to ten deer a year and may name a nonprofit to receive venison.

What about larger areas?

A county board of agriculture can ask the Division to designate a special deer management area where farms have serious crop damage. A community-based deer management plan can then use shooting by authorized agents, with shooters who pass a scoped-rifle qualification, shoot at limited distances and have clean game-law records.

Other New Jersey farmer programs

Farmer deer permits (application June 1 to August 31), site-specific permits for farms of 10 acres or more with documented damage, and turkey and goose damage help. See our wild turkey and snow goose pages.

Where can I read the New Jersey law?

• N.J.S.A. Title 23, Fish and Game, Wild Birds and Animals
• N.J.A.C. 7:25-5, New Jersey Game Code

Last updated October 18, 2026. Reviewed by DelChester Wildlife Conservation Group.

Frequently asked questions