“Overall, spring breeding conditions for waterfowl were favorable again this year,” said Edward Robinson, N.H. Fish and Game’s waterfowl biologist. This year’s total U.S. duck population estimate from the traditional survey area in the prairies and parklands is 41 million birds, which is nearly identical to last year. In New Hampshire, weather and habitat conditions were also very good for nesting and brood rearing. Federal frameworks will allow for liberal waterfowl seasons in 2010.

New Hampshire’s proposed waterfowl season is very much like last year’s. N.H. Fish and Game is proposing a 60-day duck season with a 6-bird daily limit, and a 60-day Canada goose season with a 2-bird daily limit. Fish and Game also recommends continuing split seasons, including both ducks and Canada geese, in both the inland and coastal zones to allow early and late hunting opportunities:

* The proposed INLAND ZONE waterfowl season (ducks, mergansers, coots, Canada geese) would open on October 5 and run through November 17; then reopen November 24 through December 19.

* The proposed COASTAL ZONE season would open on October 6 and run through October 17; then reopen November 24 through January 10, 2011.

As the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to conserve, manage and protect these resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.HuntNH.com.

The names of the 2010 winners and alternates are posted on Fish and Game’s website at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Moose_hunt/2010_Moose_Winners.html.

Winners were randomly selected by computer from a pool of more than 14,000 applicants. They will be offered permits to hunt moose during the October 16 – 24, 2010, season. Each winner is allowed to enlist a guide and one friend or relative to help on the hunt as a “subpermittee.”

About a hundred people showed up at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord today to watch the drawing, swap hunting stories, and listen hopefully to hear their names on the list of winners.

Winners hailed from throughout New Hampshire, as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio and Florida

Five happy winners were present to hear their names announced at the drawing. The first winner in the room was David Joslyn of Chichester, who started entering the moose hunt lottery when he moved back to New Hampshire in 2004.

Maurice L’Heureux of Manchester was all smiles after hearing his name called – especially after his wife, Jacqueline, was drawn as well!

Permit winner Colleen VanVeleen of Penacook, age 16, was in attendance with her grandfather and uncle; no final word on whom Colleen will choose to be her subpermittee.

Joshua Courchesne of Hooksett has been entering the NH moose hunt lottery for 8 years; this is his first draw, although he was his Pepe’s subpermittee a few years back.

It’s the 16th year entering the NH moose hunt lottery and the first win for Robert Rioux of Nashua, who says he’s been hunting “since he was born.” He and wife Carol were there to hear his name read for a permit in unit I1.

Thanks to the recovery of moose populations, New Hampshire has had an annual moose hunt since 1988. That year, 75 permits were issued for a three-day hunt in the North Country. The availability of 395 hunting permits this year, with some issued for every area of the state during the nine-day season, has been made possible by careful management of moose populations. The resulting sustainable annual harvest of moose helps to regulate moose numbers and provides a unique recreational opportunity.

Each permit winner is assigned to one of 22 wildlife management units (WMUs) in which he or she can legally hunt.

In 2009, New Hampshire hunters took 341 moose, for a statewide success rate of 65%. Regional success rates for moose hunters last year ranged from 91% in the North Region to 47% in the southeast and southwest regions of the state.

Hunters whose names were selected in today’s drawing will be notified by mail. Lists of successful applicants and alternates are available at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Moose_hunt/2010_Moose_Winners.html; at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord; and at the Department’s regional offices in Durham, Keene, Lancaster and New Hampton.

A limited-edition 2010 N.H. Moose Hunt shirt (short sleeve T-shirt, long-sleeve T-shirt, or sweatshirt styles available) may be ordered by downloading a print-and-mail order form at http://www.wildnh.com/Shop/moose_hunt_shirt_2010.pdf. You don’t have to be a lottery winner or alternate to buy a shirt!

For more information on hunting moose in New Hampshire, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm. A description of the lottery process and table of applicants and odds may be downloaded at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Moose_hunt/moose_lottery_stats.pdf.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.

NEWS MEDIA: Print quality PHOTOS of the lottery winners present at the June 18, 2010, drawing at Fish and Game headquarters are available at the online version of this press release at http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_2010/News_2010_Q2/Moose_lottery_results_061810.html.

Radio personalities Peter St. James and Ken Cail will broadcast live from Fish and Game headquarters that morning from 6 – 10 a.m., with drawing results starting at 9 a.m. Tune in to radio station WTPL (107.7 FM), which can be heard from Nashua to the Lakes Region; or in the Upper Valley, the broadcast can be heard on 94.3 FM or 1400 AM. The station will also stream the audio on its website, http://www.WTPLFM.com.

Lottery results will also be available online – official lists of winners and alternates will be posted on the Fish and Game website by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 18, 2010. (Please be patient; the large spike in web traffic on lottery day sometimes causes download delays.)

Moose-themed Fish and Game merchandise will be available for purchase from 8 a.m. to noon on moose lottery day, including a chance to order the special edition 2010 moose hunt T-shirt. (You don’t have to win the lottery to buy a shirt; an online order form also will be posted on June 18.) The sale is a great chance to get all your “moose wear” – moose-motif T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, coolers, notepads and more.

More than 14,000 applicants entered the lottery for the chance to win a permit for the 2010 moose season, which runs from October 16 to 24, 2010. In addition, more than 1,100 people will continue to accrue bonus points by submitting an application for a point only but are not included in the lottery this year. The bonus point system improves your chance of winning for each consecutive year you enter and are not selected.

For more about moose hunting in New Hampshire, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm.

It’s easy to enter the moose lottery: just go to http://www.huntnh.com (where you can apply online or print out a mail-in application), or pick up a moose hunt lottery application from any fish and game license agent. The entry fee is $15 for New Hampshire residents and $25 for nonresidents (nonrefundable).

Moose hunt lottery applications submitted by mail must be postmarked no later than midnight, May 28, 2010, to be eligible for the lottery. Each year, some applications are turned away because people miss the postmark deadline date. If submitting a paper application by mail on May 28, deliver it to the post office and see if it can be postmarked while you are there; just dropping it in a mailbox does not ensure that it will be postmarked by the May 28 deadline.

Each applicant can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonus point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply each consecutive year. (Don’t miss a year, or you’ll lose your points!) You do not need to have a current hunting license to enter the lottery.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to apply. Allow yourself a little extra time, just in case your paper application is incomplete or not filled out properly; if this happens before the deadline, the application is returned and, if there’s time, you can correct and resubmit. (Hint: applicants are encouraged to apply online at http://www.huntnh.com, since there is less chance of submitting an incomplete application online.) Every year Fish and Game gets a few last-minute paper applications that cannot be corrected in time, as well as sad stories from people who waited until the last minute to apply online and missed the deadline because of a computer glitch. Don’t let that disappointed person be you – enter today!

This could be your year to get in on the adventure of a lifetime, a New Hampshire moose hunt. The moose season runs from October 16 to 24, 2010 (by permit only). For more information on moose hunting in New Hampshire, including a gallery of successful hunts from previous years, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm.

Sign up now using the registration form posted at http://www.nhbow.com. The class is limited to 14 participants. Registration is first-come, first-served. Deadline for sign-ups is March 24, 2010. Cost of $295 includes instruction, materials, use of equipment, all meals and two nights lodging at the charming Woodbound Inn & Resort (http://www.woodbound.com), nestled in Rindge, N.H., on the shores of Lake Contoocook in the heart of the Monadnock region.

Participants in this “Beyond BOW” workshop will learn everything they need to know to set out on a turkey hunt of their own: calling, habitat, equipment, shotgun patterning, safety, ethics, cleaning/cooking game and participation in a mock hunt. “Beyond BOW” courses expand the offerings of traditional BOW fall and winter workshops. These in-depth courses are designed to give women the skills to do the outdoor activity on their own. It also gives participants a chance to network with enthusiastic, like-minded women with whom to share these activities.

New Hampshire’s spring gobbler season starts on May 3, 2010. The youth turkey hunting weekend takes place on May 1-2, 2010. For more information on turkey hunting in New Hampshire, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_turkey.htm.

New Hampshire’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman programs are co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (http://www.WildNH.com) and the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation (http://www.nhwf.org).

Visit the Fish and Game website at http://www.HuntNH.com to enter the moose hunt lottery online or print out an application to mail in. Applications can also be picked up from Fish and Game license agents statewide. Moose hunt lottery applications for 2010 must be postmarked or submitted online by May 28, 2010, midnight Eastern Time, or they may be delivered to the Licensing office at N.H. Fish and Game headquarters in Concord prior to 4:00 p.m. that day. Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 18.

Last year (2009), more than 14,500 applicants entered the lottery for the chance to win one of 515 permits. Those who are lucky enough to take part in the hunt have an excellent chance of success. In 2009, almost two-thirds of New Hampshire permit holders got their moose. Permit holders can choose another hunter of any age to accompany them on the hunt, but only one moose may be taken per permit.

Each applicant can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonus point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply each consecutive year. For example, last year those resident applicants that had a total of 6 points had a 1 in 12 chance of being drawn and a non-resident with 6 points had a 1 in 37 chance of being drawn. It is not necessary to have a current hunting license to enter the lottery, but hunters who are offered and accept a permit must buy a $150 resident or $500 nonresident moose hunt permit, as well as a New Hampshire hunting license.

Both state residents and nonresidents may enter the moose lottery. The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based on the prior year’s sales of nonresident hunting licenses (about 15 to 17 percent of the total).

On the Fish and Game website, you can find more information on moose hunting at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm, including a moose hunt Q&A, regional success rates and photos and stories from past New Hampshire moose hunts.

The state’s current moose population is estimated at about 4,500 animals.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to conserve, manage and protect the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats; inform and educate the public about these resources; and provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate them.

Gary Marbut, president of Montana Shooting Sports Association and instrumental author of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act, says that Itse’s version, somewhat of a clone of Montana’s, calls for criminal penalties against anyone attempting to enforce federal gun laws against the manufacturers of New Hampshire-made guns, etc.

Look for Fish and Game at these exciting winter events:

ROCKINGHAM HUNTING & FISHING EXPO: Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10, 2010, at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H. This expo features many local and national outdoor products and services. See the New Hampshire record buck. Hunting and fishing seminars by local experts and special scavenger hunt for the kids. For more information, visit http://www.rockinghamexpo.com.

GREAT MEREDITH ROTARY ICE FISHING DERBY: Saturday, January 30; and Sunday, January 31, 2010. The derby brings anglers to New Hampshire from all over the country in hopes of snagging the heaviest Meredith Rotary-tagged rainbow trout and claiming the grand prize. The Meredith Rotary Club, in consultation with the N.H. Fish and Game Department as part of an ongoing fisheries management plan, stocks tagged fish in several New Hampshire lakes for this event. This year’s stocked lakes include Little Squam, Mascoma, Ossipee, Waukewan, Wentworth, Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam. During the derby, N.H. Fish and Game fisheries biologists Don Miller and John Viar will collect valuable fish data at the derby weigh-in. For tickets and information, go to
http://www.meredithrotary.com

DERBY HIGHLIGHTS FEATUREING N.H. FISH AND GAME INCLUDE:
* For the fourth consecutive year, the Meredith Rotary Club will kick off the derby by hosting a free ice fishing panel discussion on Friday, January 29, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Meredith Community Center on Route 3 in Meredith. Don Miller of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department; and Licensed guides Adrian Lavoie and Travis Williams will discuss ice fishing tips, techniques and equipment. Light refreshments will be served.
* On Saturday, January 30, 2010, Fish and Game’s “Let’s Go Fishing” program staff and volunteers present a free hands-on clinic for kids and their parents on the basics of ice fishing at derby headquarters, Meredith Bay. Learn how to catch the big one! Sessions run hourly starting at 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Ice-fishing equipment will be featured, including using tip-ups, sounding the hole and power augers. Then the kids will have a chance to fish!

NEW HAMPSHIRE FARM & FOREST EXPOSITION: Friday, February 5; and Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the Radisson Hotel/Center of New Hampshire in Manchester, NH. Since 1984, “New Hampshire’s Greatest Winter Fair” has offered commercial exhibits, educational sessions, student and exhibitor demonstrations, animals, an auction and activities for attendees of all ages! Special this year is the N.H. Fish and Game Department Wildlife exhibit. Meet Fish and Game staff and learn how to make connections with wildlife in your back yard. For information and directions visit: http://www.nhfarmandforestexpo.org.

TOYOTA EASTERN FISHING & OUTDOOR EXPOSITION: Thursday-Sunday, February 11-14, 2010, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, featuring everything the angler, hunter or outdoorsman could imagine. N.H. Fish and Game’s booth will feature expert information about where, what and how to hunt and fish in New Hampshire, 2010 hunting and fishing licenses, and newly designed merchandise featuring moose, snakes and bears. For hours, directions and admission fees, visit http://www.sportshows.com/worc_main.html.

Based on these 2009 preliminary registration figures by county (which indicate where deer were registered, not necessarily killed), results were mixed, according to Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

“Some areas experienced reduced deer movements this fall as a result of abundant acorn production and, until the very end of the regular firearm season, most of the state was snow-free,” said Gustafson. “These factors combined with the residual effects of recently severe winters, especially 2007-08, have reduced recent harvests from the near record kill in 2007. In spite of this, New Hampshire’s harvest again exceeded 10,000, which has only happened 15 times in the past 50 years.”

New Hampshire has an estimated population of about 85,000 deer, with the 2009 kill representing about 12% of that total. The deer hunting season closed in the state on December 15, the final day of archery deer season.

The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire’s 2009 season by county, with comparisons to the previous 8 years, is posted at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/deer_hunt_take_by_County.htm.
Readers are reminded that 2009 estimates are based on the number of deer reported as being registered in each county (not necessarily killed in that county).

The unofficial harvest tally for New Hampshire’s 2009 bear season was 755 bears, the second highest bear harvest in the state’s history. Most of the increase over the 439 bear tally of 2008, took place in the northernmost three management regions, which saw poor beechnut production and highly variable oak crops. Harvest in the southernmost three management regions was very similar to previous years.

“When fall food is scarce, bears become more vulnerable to hunting as they forage over greater distances and become easier to pattern at local food sources,” said Fish and Game Bear Project Leader Andy Timmins. “This year we had an abundant apple crop and a spotty nut crop, so bears were more predictably in orchards. An increased number of bears were also taken in cornfields last fall as compared to previous years.”

Overall, the 2009 bear season tally was 50% above the preceding 5-year average (504 bears) and 72% higher than the 2008 tally (439). Hunters took 413 males and 342 females, yielding a harvest sex ratio of 1.2 males per female. A preliminary breakdown of 2009 bear season results by region and method may be found at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/bear_hunt_take.htm.

Final official numbers from the 2009 hunting seasons will be available in the 2009 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, which will be published in March 2010 and posted on the Fish and Game website at http://www.huntnh.com.

New Hampshire’s successful 2009 hunting seasons are a reminder that hunting activities made possible by science-based wildlife management, contribute significantly to New Hampshire’s economy. The most recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey indicates that approximately 61,000 people hunted in New Hampshire, generating more than $75 million in hunting-related expenditures annually in the state.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlilfe and marine resources and their habitats. Find more information and online license sales at http://www.huntnh.com.

This is a warning to outdoor users about a potentially deadly biological event that could result from one’s curiosity to poke at and kick through scat from wolves, coyotes and foxes. Of course not everyone knowingly does this but many hunters, trappers and simply the curious, want to know what these animals have been eating.

Back in the end of November I gave you a link to a story, “Of Wolves and Worms”. That story introduced many of us to the subject of worms being found in wolves in the Greater Yellowstone area.

According to a new study out in the October issue of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, three-millimeter-long tapeworms known as Echinococcus granulosus, are documented for the first time in gray wolves in Idaho and Montana. And the authors didn’t just find a few tapeworms here and there… turns out that of 123 wolf intestines sampled, 62 percent of the Idaho gray wolves and 63 percent of the Montana gray wolves were positive. (Ew!) The researchers wrote: “The detection of thousands of tapeworms per wolf was a common finding.” (Again… Ew!!) This leads to the interpretation that the E. granulosus parasite rate is fairly widespread and established in the Northern Rocky Mountain wolves.

There is discussion about how some think the worms ended up in the wolves in this region but the article tends to downplay any serious concerns people should have from coming in contact with these tapeworms and the eggs they leave behind.

In the comments section of the article, Will Graves, author of the book “Wolves in Russia: Anxiety Through the Ages“, left his thoughts on his own research discoveries about the dangers to humans of these parasites.

In the first paragraph in my letter to Mr. Bangs dated 3 October 1993 on the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) which was titled “The Reintroduction of Gray Wolves to Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho,” I warned about the damages and problems wolves would cause to Yellowstone and other areas by carrying and spreading parasites and diseases over larger areas. Some of these parasites are damaging not only to wild and domestic animals, but can also be dangerous to humans. One of these parasites is Echinococcous Granulosus and Echinococcus M. Since 1993 I have been working to tell people what I have learned from about 50 years of research on the characteristics, habits and behavior of Russian wolves. From that research I came to the conclusion that one of the most serious consequences of bring wolves into the US would be the wolves carrying and spreading around damaging/dangerous parasites and diseases. I did my best to explain this in my book titled, “Wolves in Russia – Anxiety Through the Ages” edited by Dr. Valerius Geist. Details about my book are in my web site: wolvesinrussia.com.

After several years effort, I finally recently obtained help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Parasitic Research Center in Beltsville, MD. This research center will try to conduct research on the blood taken from wolves in our western states. Oneparasite they will be researching is to determine if wolves carry and spread the parasite Neospora Caninum around. It is established that coyotes and dogs carry this damaging parasite.

I remember that about two years ago there was a report about one wolf carrying Echinococcus Granulosus in Montana.

Much more research is needed about the danger wolves bring to our environment. Some of the parasites carried by wolves are dangerous to humans.(emphasis added)

Around this same time that Will Graves posted his comments, he contacted me by email and asked if I could somehow be of assistance to him in obtaining blood samples from wolves taken during the Idaho and Montana wolf hunts. The word went out quickly and hopefullyGraves gets what he needs to help him in his research. This can become extremely valuable information for all of us.

In the meantime, Dr. Valerius Geist, professor emeritus University of Calgary and Dr. Charles Kay, of Utah State University, who holds degrees in wildlife ecology, environmental studies and wildlife biology, exchanged thoughts on the discovery of worms in Yellowstone wolves in emails I received.

Well, Charles? What else is new? What did we warn about, how we were censored as alarmists………………………
And yes, a colleague assured us that all that is not a problem for us, but for some native types. Nothing to worry about, really. Remember how, early on, we put out a warning – do not kick dry wolf feces or poke about in such looking for evidence of food habits. Do not handle wolf feces as it will disturb the tiny Echinococcus eggs that float up like little dust cloud to envelop you, and you are very likely to ingest some of that “dust”. This know-how, which we older Canadian types carried away from our parasitogy lessons was poo-hood by some American colleagues. Wolves are after all, harmless! Remember the question we posed: is it really such a great idea completing ecosystems when the progression is herbivores, carnivores, finally diseases and parasites?

It is not my intention nor that of Drs. Geist and Kay to attempt to instill unnecessary fear in people but to educate, as it was back in the day before wolf reintroduction. There are very important lessons and warnings that all should heed and take into consideration when in the woods or maybe even in your own back yard.

Dr. Geist emailed me the other day and asked me if I would be kind enough to post this information so that anyone and everyone will be aware of the potential for some very serious health issues.

Urgent: could you make a point of it that now, that we know that the majority of wolves are infected with Echinococcus, that all hunters control their curiosity and not poke about in wolf or coyote feces to find out what these predators ate. these feces are saturated with tiny, lightweight Echinococcus eggs that rise like dust plume from the disturbed feces and envelop the poking hunter. If the air-born eggs are ingested, the an infection is possible, and having Echinococcus cysts grow inside oneself is not a desirable condition. Trust me!

He followed that up with more information about the dangers.

As to the pathogenicity of Echinococcus granulosus: Yes, I noticed that Foayt, leaning on Raup’s research in Alaska, toned down the dangers from this northern form. My understanding based on what we learned from an old, experienced parasitologist at the University of British Columbia is that it’s nothing to fool around with. It’s serious! In my career as a biologist in touch with the north, I have heard nothing else. I have not, however, done a recent literature search. Foayte’s assessment may be on even though it conflicts with mine. Either way, getting an Echinococcus cyst of any kind is no laughing matter as it can grow not only on the liver or the lungs, but also in the brain. And then it’s fatal.

There is however, another much more alarming angle. Echinococcus multilocularis is a nightmare, and much more virulent than Echinococcus granulosus of any strain. We cannot encapsulate this cyst, and it grows and buds off like a cancer infecting different parts of the body incessantly. Were some of the wolves infected with multilocularis? Coyotes and foxes carry it and it has been spreading. Do canids in Idaho, Montana, etc. have it? It’s found in Alberta. Regardless, now is the time to send out an SOS to ALL outdoor users. Hold your curiosity in check, do not poke into the feces of wolves, coyotes and foxes. If you do you will release clouds of Echinococcus eggs which will envelop you, and you may ingest the eggs, bring the eggs home and endanger your family. This is nothing new to me and I have lived with this constraint on my curiosity for over 40 years. This is just a know how that maintains your personal and your family’s safety. Also, never feed uncooked offal to your dog as it may become infected with Echinococcus and infect you and your family. Echinococcus cysts love to be in lung and liver, and if consumed by dogs you have a health hazard on your hands. And such cysts now grow in deer and elk where you live. Somebody should take a second look searching out Echinococcus multilocularis.

You and I probably have no idea in the world whether these worms exist in the woods we hunt, trap, hike, etc. but good advice given by Dr. Geist should tell us it’s not something we should mess around with. Squelch the curiosity to dig in the poop and just assume there could be hidden danger.

I want to take a moment to thank Will Graves, Dr. Val Geist and Dr. Charles Kay for caring enough about the rest of us to be willing to share their findings and experiences.