The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is informing the public that the NJ Fish and Game Council approved all proposed amendments to the 2011 - 2012 Game Code at its July 20 meeting. The Game Code governs the activities relating to the taking of wildlife classified as game animals, game birds, or furbearers.

The Council's approval of the amendments followed a sixty-day public comment period, which included a public hearing held on May 17, 2011 at the NJ State Museum in Trenton. The 2011 - 2012 Game Code will be effective after publication in the New Jersey Register.

The approved amendments included, but were not limited to, the following:

• The addition of five days to the rabbit and hare hunting season
• A statewide closure of the bobwhite quail season, with the exception of the Greenwood and Peaslee WMAs and existing semi-wild and commercial shooting preserves
• The elimination of separate black bear hunting seminars as bear hunting will now be included in the regular hunter education classes
• The creation of special black bear farmer permits
• The addition of a second Saturday to the fall turkey hunting season
• Expansion of the early bow and arrow-only coyote and fox season, and regular coyote and fox season dates
• Removal of the requirement for youth hunters to take an antlerless deer before an antlered deer during the early fall bow deer season
• Inclusion of five additional deer management zones (DMZ) into the Antler Point Restriction program
• Creation of a new deer regulation set
• Boundary changes to DMZs 19, 23, 25 and 65

To view the full proposal document, see the Notice of Rule Proposal at www.nj.gov/dep/rules/notices/050211a.html on the DEP website.