The Nantuxent Wildlife Management Area in Cumberland County is 1,144 acres in Downe and Lawrence Townships. The WMA is comprised of oak and pine forests in the northern part, while the southern end consists of wetlands that drain into Nantuxent Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River.
Visit For
Wildlife Viewing
Bald eagles, songbirds, great blue herons, osprey, and many species of frogs and toads may be encountered on your visit.
Hunting & Trapping Opportunities
The upland portion of Nantuxent is farmland and offers small game hunters excellent opportunities for pheasants, rabbits, squirrel, woodchuck, fox and coyote. During November and December, fields are stocked with pheasant.
The area also offers a modest number of deer (DMZ 30) and turkey (THA 21).
The large marshland areas in this WMA are a great place for waterfowl hunting. Primary species include black duck, teal, mallard, pintail, and geese. Snow geese make Nantuxent a frequent stopover resulting in prime hunting during the fall, late winter, and early spring as they stage to migrate north.
Raccoon, red and grey fox, coyote, mink, muskrat, and river otter found on the WMA provide excellent trapping opportunities.
Access
Take Interstate 295 South to NJ 55 South. Turn left onto 552. Take 552/West Sherman Avenue, to Morias Avenue, to Hogbin Road and Cedarville Road to East Bay Point Road in Lawrence Township. Make a right at the traffic light onto West Maple Avenue. Continue for two miles (along the way the name of the road becomes Jones Island Road.). Two miles after your turn onto Maple Avenue, East Bay Point Road (paved) curves sharply to the right and opposite it, to the left, is an unmarked dirt road. Turn left onto this dirt road and follow it for 0.6 miles to the end. This single road leads south through the middle of the WMA through heavily overgrown marshlands on both sides.
Owned by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Fish & Wildlife, the Wildlife Management Area System is comprised of more than 360,000 acres in 122 areas throughout the state, which is more than 44% of New Jersey’s state-owned public open space. WMAs are maintained and supported with funding from hunting and fishing license sales, the Federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Wildlife Habitat Supporter Program.
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WMAs are patrolled by NJ Fish & Wildlife Conservation Police Officers to ensure public safety. If you see violations while visiting a WMA, please call the 24-hour DEP hotline at 877-WARN-DEP (877-927-6337).
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