New Jersey Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A New Jersey hunting license costs $27.50 for a resident adult and $135.50 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
New Jersey does something few states still do: it sells firearm hunting and archery hunting as two completely separate licenses, so a hunter who wants to do both needs to buy both, unless the Sportsman bundle makes more sense.
- Non-resident 2-day small game $36.50
- All-Around Sportsman License (firearm hunt + bow hunt + fishing), resident $72.25
Figure shown is the firearm license; archery hunting requires a separate Bow and Arrow license ($31.50 resident, $135.50 non-resident). New Jersey issues separate licenses per hunting method rather than one all-methods license. The $72.25 All-Around Sportsman License bundles firearm hunting, bow hunting and fishing for residents. Ages 10-16 get a free Youth Hunting License after completing hunter/trapper education; all first-time hunters of any age must complete an approved hunter education course, including a live-fire range day, before hunting unsupervised.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for New Jersey hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a New Jersey hunting license costs
Residents pay $27.50 for the firearm license or $31.50 for the bow and arrow license; non-residents pay $135.50 for either one. Youth hunters 10-16 get their license free. The $72.25 All-Around Sportsman License is the best value for residents who want to hunt with both firearm and bow and also fish, bundling all three into one discounted price rather than buying three licenses separately.
Who needs a license, and hunter education
New Jersey requires a hunting license starting at age 10. Hunter education runs on first-time-hunter status rather than a birth-year cutoff: anyone who has never held a hunting license or hunter education record must complete an approved course, including an in-person live-fire range session, before hunting unsupervised, regardless of their age. Ages 10-15 can get a free Youth Hunting License after completing hunter or trapper education, and 10-13 year-olds must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older who also holds a valid New Jersey hunting license.
License year and deadlines
New Jersey hunting licenses are valid for the calendar year and expire December 31 regardless of purchase date.
How to buy your New Jersey hunting license
Hunting licenses are sold online through the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife's licensing site, and also at license agents around the state.
Hunting in New Jersey: what to expect
The Pine Barrens in the southern part of the state, a million-plus acres of pitch pine forest largely protected from development, is New Jersey's most significant block of public hunting land, holding deer, turkey and small game in a landscape most people don't associate with the country's most densely populated state. The Delaware Bay shore is a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway for waterfowl, drawing hunters after black ducks and geese each fall as birds stage along the marshes before continuing south.
Public land: Wildlife Management Areas
New Jersey's Wildlife Management Area system, over 125 areas covering hundreds of thousands of acres, is the backbone of public hunting access in a state where private land is otherwise scarce and expensive to lease. WMAs are concentrated in the Pine Barrens and the northwestern highlands, and specific deer management zones and permit requirements vary by WMA, so checking the current regulations for a specific area before hunting matters more in New Jersey than in most states.
How to renew a New Jersey hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in New Jersey. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. Licenses are valid for the calendar year and expire Dec 31 regardless of purchase date.
The fastest route is the official New Jersey online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the New Jersey fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.