N.H. HUNTING REPORT — September 2009

Greetings, hunters! Hope you are all getting ready for a great season ahead.

THIS SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, IS HUNT-FISH DAY EXPO & NH TOUR
Get in on the action at this statewide celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Admission is free! Enjoy a huge sporting show on the grounds of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department in Concord, N.H. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fish and Game’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness will offer archery, muzzleloader and shotgun shooting. Local fish and game clubs are holding special events, sporting clubs are hosting shows and demonstrations, and outfitters are posting retail specials and discounts on outdoor gear. Check out the Expo exhibitors and the list of participating clubs and retailers at http://www.wildnh.com/expotour.

YOUTH WATERFOWL WEEKEND
New Hampshire’s Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend will be held statewide on Saturday, September 26; and Sunday, September 27, 2009. Youths must be 15 years of age or younger and accompanied by a licensed adult 18 years or older. The adult must possess a current hunting license but may not hunt. The daily bag limits are the same as those allowed in the open season. Find more about waterfowl hunting in New Hampshire at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_waterfowl.htm.

NEW HUNTING DIGEST
We’re getting lots of calls about the new NH Hunting and Trapping Digest. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the cool new “flipbook” here: http://pub.jfgriffin.com/doc/jfgriffin/09NHHD. The Digest is a new size and format, much better organized, and we hope you’ll like it. As a bonus, the larger size allows for additional advertising and production support, which saves Fish and Game money, leaving more to spend on the conservation projects you care about. Pick up a copy of the Digest at your local license agent or at any Fish and Game office.

BEAR SEASON GOING WELL
Bear biologist Andy Timmins reports that as of September 20, hunters had reported taking 312 bears in New Hampshire. Bait hunters harvested 223 bears and still hunters/stalkers took 89 bears. Currently, this year’s harvest is 13% above the 5-year in-season average of 275 bears for this time period. Additionally, the harvest is 61% above the 2008 tally at this point in the season. The increased harvest to date appears to reflect below average natural food production across many areas of the state this fall (meaning that bears are traveling farther and are more visible as they seek food in agricultural fields and elsewhere).

GET SET FOR PHEASANTS, SMALL GAME
Pheasant and small game seasons get underway October 1. New Hampshire Fish and Game will release 13,500 pheasants, purchased exclusively with revenues from the sale of pheasant licenses, at 74 stocking sites in 50 towns. See the list of stocking locations at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_pheasant.htm. Small game hunters can help Fish and Game out by taking the time to report your hunting activities on the Small Game Survey and Ruffed Grouse Wing and Tail Survey, and you could win a quality firearm! Find out how to participate at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_small_game.htm.

PLENTY OF UNIT M SPECIAL DEER PERMITS LEFT
We still have plenty of Unit M Antlerless-only deer permits left. The special permits are good for taking one additional anterless deer in Wildlife Management Unit M during the archery, muzzleloader or firearms season by any legal method. Permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $13 each (a limit of one per licensed hunter). They can be purchased online or ask for an application by mail. Follow the links at http://www.wildnh.com/Hunting/Special_Unit_M_permits.htm.

LAST CHANCE FOR HUNTER ED
If you need a hunter education course, better sign up quick for one of the remaining classes. Check out availability at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/hunter_ed_schedule.htm.
A few traditional courses are still open, but all field days for the new online option are full at this time.

GET YOUR LICENSE
Buy your hunting license and permits online, anytime, at http://www.greatlodge.com/nh or visit one of 240+ friendly New Hampshire license agents near you.

UPCOMING SEASONS:
Click on the following links to go to season “forecasts” and more:

WHITE-TAILED DEER (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_deer.htm):
Archery: Sept. 15 – Dec. 15 (closes Dec. 8 in WMU A*)
Youth Deer Weekend: Oct. 24-25
Firearms: Nov. 11 – Dec. 6 (closes Nov. 29 in WMU A*)
Muzzleloader: Oct. 31 – Nov. 10 (opens Nov. 2 in WMU A*)
*WMU A in northern New Hampshire continues to have an antler point restriction and shortened season dates for deer. Consult the Hunting Digest for more details.

BLACK BEAR (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_bear.htm): Starts Sept. 1 (end varies by WMU)

GRAY SQUIRREL (http://www.Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_small_game.htm): Sept. 1 – Dec. 31

SNOWSHOE HARE (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_small_game.htm): Oct. 1 – March 31 (bag limit varies by WMU)

RUFFED GROUSE (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_small_game.htm): Oct. 1 – Dec. 31

WOODCOCK (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_small_game.htm): Oct. 6 – Nov. 4

PHEASANT (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_pheasant.htm): Oct. 1 – Dec. 31

MOOSE (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm): Oct. 17 – 25 (by permit only, allocated by lottery)

FALL TURKEY (http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm)
Shotgun: Oct. 12 – 16 (certain WMUs only)
Archery: Sept. 15 – Dec. 15 (Closed in WMU A)

WATERFOWL – 2009-2010 season dates are posted at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_waterfowl.htm.

For more New Hampshire hunting information, visit http://www.huntNH.com.