Wildlife Programs

New Jersey’s Outstanding Deer Program

New Jersey’s Outstanding Deer Program showcases the fine quality deer produced in the Garden State while recognizing the hunters who harvested them with a bow, crossbow, shotgun or muzzleloading rifle. Our Program follows the measuring standards developed by the Boone and Crockett Club. This scoring system gives credit to antler length, spread, number of points, mass and symmetry.

Joining the program’s regular Open Division is a Youth Division for hunters ages 10–16 with eased entry requirements reduced by 10 points (inches) for all Antler categories and a reduction in the Weight category requirements by 10 or 20 pounds for doe and buck, respectively. (See table below for minimum entry requirements.)

Legally harvested deer must be taken under the Boone and Crockett-defined rules of fair chase. Deer taken from enclosed hunting lands are not eligible.

Applications are due Nov. 1 — NO EXCEPTIONS. No entry fee.

All deer must be scored by an official measurer. Visit our website at dep.nj.gov/njfw/hunting/outstanding-white-tailed-deer-program/ for program background, rules, score/entry forms plus a list of official measurers. (See page bottom at Entering the Outstanding Deer Program.)

Don’t wait for the approaching deadline to schedule with an official measurer. Racks waiting at the taxidermy shop can be “borrowed” for scoring then returned to the taxidermist for mounting. A rack is easier and safer to transport and measure than a mount. Ask your taxidermist to have the mount completed by Dec. 31 to be ready for the January Deer Classic. (See above.)

Weight categories recognize exceptional body size as determined by the field-dressed weight, all vitals removed. See chart for minimum eligible weights. Bucks must be weighed on a certified scale† (no truck scales**) with the weighmaster’s signature on a letterhead receipt or on the entry form, available on our website. Does must be weighed either on a Fish and Wildlife regional office scale or on a certified scale with signature proof, as above.

Any properly licensed hunter, resident or non-resident, is eligible to enter their deer harvested from the previous year’s hunting seasons. Deer must be taken in accordance with New Jersey wildlife laws and regulations.

Official entry consists of the original score sheet, hunter information page plus a clear photo of the hunter with their deer, preferably a field photo from the day of harvest. Forms with instructions are available on dep.nj.gov/njfw/hunting/entering-the-outstanding-white-tailed-deer-program/.

For questions, email Fish and Wildlife at [email protected]. Qualifying entries for deer harvested during the 2022–23 hunting seasons will be recognized at the 2024 Garden State Deer Classic.

Join Fish and Wildlife in celebrating New Jersey’s outstanding white-tailed deer at the January at the Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen’s Show in Edison. See ad below for more information.

The table below lists the top-scoring deer and the hunters who harvested them during the 2020–21 deer hunting seasons, not the most recent 2021–22 hunting seasons. Current season harvests will be honored at the January 2024 Deer Classic and printed in next year’s 2024 Hunting & Trapping Digest.