no rifle hunting allowed in nj
shotgun starts first week of december
and since you talking about that shot gun for deer and home protection, i guess best bet would be 00 buck shot.
hunting wma in nj i would go as far as you can into the land too many guys are lazy to walk in far .
go and scout the land some look for some deer signs like trails ,scrapes ,rubs ,dropping and if you find some acorns thats a plus .
good luck if you can google map the land and check it out that might help too but get out there and do some scouting nj season lasts till jan 31 in some zones and feb 21 in others .
question do you have a hunting license, if you dont you must take a safety course for the weapon your going to hunt with shotgun,muzzleloader,bow,
then you have to purchase permits ,few classes are available now but if you dont take action this week you wont be able to hunt deer till next year in sept , if i was you i would do some scouting find out what it is that you want to hunt with take your test ,practice with weapon of choice and good luck next year