Hunters should be aware that a limited number of leftover special area deer season permits are available for over-the-counter sales at several locations throughout the state. Permits will be sold for the following zones: 37, 38, 52, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, and 67. These sales will enable hunters who did not apply for a permit, were not selected in the lottery, or who wish to obtain an extra permit the opportunity to do so.

Hunters are limited to purchasing one permit per season per zone. This means that a qualified hunter may possess one bow, one muzzleloader and one shotgun permit for a specific zone. Hunters may not have two of the same season permits for the same zone.

Anyone interested in purchasing a permit must bring their 2004 hunting license and cash or check for $28. Youth hunters must bring their youth license or hunter education certificate, and cash or check for $12 per permit.

Permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Hunters need not be present to purchase a permit, however the individual purchasing the permit(s) must have the hunter's valid 2004 hunting license. Photocopies of licenses are not accepted.

The zones involved are all “special areas,” and as such, most have mandatory orientation sessions or registration periods. Sale dates and locations vary. Please check the Hunting Issue of the 2004 New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest or contact the individual special areas for further information.

Fort Dix (Zones 37 and 52):
Zone 37: Less than 25 permits remain for the bow season. Permits also remain for the shotgun and muzzleloader seasons.
Zone 52: Less than 25 permits remain for the bow season. Less than 10 permits remain for the shotgun season. Less than 25 permits remain available for the muzzleloader season.

All permits for Fort Dix will be available at the Division's Central Region Office located on the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area beginning Monday, October 25, 2004. Permits will be sold Monday through Fridays only from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1-4 p.m. Individuals hunting on base must also pay an annual fee and sign in and out at Range 14 on a daily basis when hunting. Military training will take precedence over hunting. Please call Fort Dix at 609-562-4676 for more information and fee schedules.

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Zone 38):
Shotgun permits are available. Permits will only be sold at refuge headquarters on Sunday, October 24 from 1-3 p.m. and Monday, October 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Refuge Wildlife Biologist Craig Bitler at 973-425-1222 extension 15.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (Zones 56, 57 and 58):
Zone 56: All permits sold out in the lottery; no permits remain.
Zone 57: Bow, muzzleloader and shotgun permits are still available. There are less than 10 permits remaining for the permit shotgun season and less than 25 permits available for the muzzleloader and bow seasons.
Zone 58: All permits sold out in the lottery; no permits remain.

Permits for Forsythe NWR Zone 57 will be sold weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. beginning Monday, October 25, 2004 at the Division’s Nacote Creek Research Station only. First time refuge hunters MUST attend one of four scheduled mandatory orientation sessions and all permits must be validated by the refuge prior to hunting. For more information, refer to the Digest.

Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Zone 59)::
Shotgun and muzzleloader permits are still available. There are less than 10 muzzleloader permits. Permits will be sold from 10 a.m. to noon at either of the mandatory orientation sessions scheduled for October 17 and November 14, 2004. Permits will also be available on the Tuesday before each hunt at the refuge office located at 197 Lighthouse Road in Pennsville. For directions and additional information, call the refuge at 856-935-1487.

Atlantic County Park System (Zone 61):
Bow, shotgun and muzzleloader permits are available. Less than 20 permits remain for the bow season and less than 10 permits for the muzzleloader season. Permits will be available for sale weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. beginning Monday, October 25, 2004 at the Division’s Nacote Creek Research Station only.

High Point State Park (Zone 67):
Muzzleloader permits are still available. Permits will be sold weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. beginning Monday, October 25, 2004. Permits will be available at two locations only -- the Division’s Northern Region Office and the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center.

Directions to the Division Offices which are selling permits are as follows:

Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center
Nine miles west of Hackettstown on Rt. 46 in Oxford, Warren County.

Northern Region Office
Exit 13 off Rt. 78W, on Highway 173 West in Hampton, Hunterdon County.

Nacote Creek Research Station
Two miles north of Smithville on Rt. 9 in Galloway Township, Atlantic County.

Central Region Office (Assunpink WMA)
Take exit 11 off Rt. 195, head north, at second intersection turn right. The office is at the corner of East Branch and Eldridge Rds. Located in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County.