N.H. Hunting Report - August 30, 2006
from NH Fish and Game
Wildlife Division Administrative Secretary Anne Arpey reports that the
summer season might be winding down, but here in the Wildlife Division,
they are busy gearing up for another fall hunting season! What's hot?
She's getting lots of calls about the new fall shotgun turkey season.
This is a new five-day season that runs from October 16-20 in selected
Wildlife Management Units in the western portion of the state.
For more information on the new fall turkey season, click here.
September 1 brings the start of the bear season; Bear Project Leader
Andy Timmins sees a promising season ahead. Gray squirrel season
also kicks off September 1 statewide except in WMUs A, B, C1 or in
parks and cemeteries. The archery season gets underway September 15 and
lasts through December 15, 2006. Plan to take a kid hunting on youth
waterfowl weekend, which is September 23 and 24, 2006.
If you want to hunt this fall, but don't have your Hunter
Education certificate yet, sign up soon or you'll be out of luck!
First time license holders have to take the class before they can get a
hunting license in New Hampshire. Fish and Game offers hunter and
bowhunter education classes, as well as trapper education. To
find a class, call (603) 271-3214.
The N.H. Hunting Digest is your best source for hunting season
dates and details; click here (and then click on the orange icon) to
download, or pick up a copy at Fish and Game offices and license agents
statewide.
Click here to buy your N.H. hunting license online -- right now!
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Plenty of Unit M Deer Permits Left
• 2006 Hunting Seasons at a Glance
• Hunting Season Changes
• Bear Season Starts September 1
• Small Game Hunters - We need you!
• Keep N.H. CWD-free
• 2006-07 Waterfowl Seasons Set
• Youth Hunt Weekends
• Sight-In Day
Plenty of Unit M Deer Permits Left
As of August 28, 2006, there were still about 2,900 Unit M
Special Deer Permits left. Sales began on July 1. More permits were
available this year -- a total of 5,500 (up from 3,250 last year).
Permits are $13 and are sold first-come, first-served, online or at
Fish and Game's Concord headquarters. They are valid for taking one
additional antlerless deer in Unit M during the archery, muzzleloader
or firearms season. For more details, and links to purchase online or
print out an application,
click here.
2006 Hunting Seasons at a Glance
WHITE-TAILED DEER:
• Archery: Sept. 15-Dec. 15
• Youth Deer Weekend: Oct. 21-22
• Muzzleloader: Oct. 28 - Nov. 7
• Firearms: Nov. 8 - Dec. 3 (ends Nov. 26 in WMU A)
BLACK BEAR: Starts Sept. 1 (end varies by WMU)
GRAY SQUIRREL: Sept. 1-Dec. 31 (Closed in WMUs A, B and C1)
SNOWSHOE HARE: Oct. 1-March 15 or 31 (end date and bag limit varies by WMU)
RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 1-Dec. 31
MOOSE: Oct. 21-29 (by lottery only)
FALL TURKEY:
• Shotgun (new season): Oct. 16-20 (in certain WMUs only)
• Archery: Sept. 15-Dec. 15 (Closed in WMU A)
For hunting regulations and seasons, check the 2006-2007 N.H. Hunting Digest
(click here.) Licenses and permits can be purchased online or from Fish and Game license agents statewide.
Hunting Season Changes
A number of new regulations have been instituted in 2006 in support of
N.H. Fish and Game's long-range Big Game Management goals. These
include shortening the firearms season for deer in Wildlife Management
Unit A (it closes a week early) to help maintain the quality of bucks
in that area. In recent years, up to 60% of the antlered bucks taken in
Unit A have been yearlings, with very few older bucks. The new deer
management plan calls for no more than half the antlered bucks taken to
be yearlings, so the season was shortened to re-establish an older age
structure.
Starting this year, there will be a 5-day fall shotgun season for
turkeys (Oct. 16 - 20, 2006) in WMUs D1, D2, G, H1, H2, I1, I2, and K.
To participate, hunters must buy a special $11 fall turkey shotgun
permit, available online as of September 1 at Fish and Game's licensing
site, over-the-counter at Fish and Game's Concord headquarters, or
click here for a print-and-mail application. Use the fall tag from your
regular turkey license.
Other rule changes: A limit was established on the number of bait sites
allowed for individual hunters as well as guides. The number of moose
permits increased to 675, part of an effort to modestly reduce the
moose population in the Connecticut Lakes region. As mentioned before,
more Special Unit M antlerless-only deer permits are being offered (a
total of 5,500), reflecting a long-term goal of reducing deer numbers
in the urbanized southeastern part of our state. In addition, the
number of days of either-sex hunting for deer during the regular,
muzzleloader and archery seasons has changed in some WMUs. For a 2006
WMU map and chart with N.H. deer dates,
click here.
Bear Season Opens September 1
The 2006 bear hunting season in New Hampshire looks very promising. The
season opens September 1. During an average fall, 15,000 hunters will
take 500 bears in New Hampshire, using three methods of harvest --
stalking, hounding and baiting. Although it is difficult to predict
fall mast (berry and nut) production, early indicators suggest that key
mast species may have an abundant crop this year. Mast surveys
conducted by Fish and Game staff to date indicate that blueberries and
raspberries produced fairly well across much of the state this summer.
The blackberry crop in most regions looks phenomenal. Apple production
appears spotty, but some local areas likely will have a crop. It
appears that the state may see its best beechnut crop since 2000, which
represents one of the most important sources of hard mast for bears in
New Hampshire. If the cyclical trend of mountain ash remains consistent
with previous years, mountain ash berries should be abundant this fall
as well.
The anticipated fall mast crop should create some exciting
opportunities for bear hunters during the upcoming season. The key to
success will be to scout out areas with the above-mentioned food
sources and look for evidence of recent bear-feeding activity. If
active bear sign is found in an area where available food remains,
patience and persistence should yield success. An abundant beechnut
crop will keep bears active late into fall, increasing the opportunity
to harvest a bear during November. An abundant bear population in many
regions of the state has resulted in overlap between bear season and
the archery, muzzleloader and regular firearms seasons for deer. This
creates the opportunity to combine a bear and deer hunt this fall.
Finally, abundant mast that cause bears to remain active until the end
of the bear season may create the opportunity to hunt and harvest a
bruin on snow. - Andy Timmins, Fish and Game Bear Project Leader
Small Game Hunters - We need you!
Small game hunters can help Fish and Game biologists manage
wildlife populations and have a chance to win a 10-22 RR rifle
generously donated by the Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. The survey asks
hunters to report when and where they hunt and which small game species
they encounter, giving us important data on the abundance and
distribution of ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare, cottontail
rabbit and gray squirrel.
Ask for a small game survey form by contacting
wilddiv@wildlife.state.nh.us; (603) 271-2461; or write to: Wildlife
Division, 11 Hazen Dr., Concord, NH, 03301. Completed survey forms must
be postmarked by April 15, 2007, to be entered into the raffle.
Keep N.H. CWD-free
If you're heading to another state to hunt this fall, take care you
don't bring chronic wasting disease (CWD) back to New Hampshire's deer
herd. CWD is a serious threat -- a fatal neurological disorder that
affects white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. CWD is creeping closer to
New Hampshire - last year it was detected in both captive and wild deer
in New York. The disease has been found in wild or captive deer or elk
in 14 states - Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming; and two Canadian provinces -- Alberta
and Saskatchewan. So far, New Hampshire's deer population shows no
evidence of CWD
If you're hunting in any of the 16 CWD-positive jurisdictions, you MUST
follow the regulations on importing deer or elk carcasses into New
Hampshire. You may bring back ONLY deboned meat, antlers, upper canine
teeth and/or hides or capes with no part of the head attached. Antlers
attached to skullcaps or canine teeth must have all soft tissue
removed. Remember, it's the law.
Fall Canada Goose and Waterfowl Seasons Set
The resident Canada goose season runs September 5 - 25, 2006,
statewide, with a daily bag limit of 5 birds and possession limit of
10. Waterfowl biologist Ed Robinson reports that this summer, Fish and
Game completed goose captures at 21 sites in six counties, banding 633
geese. "Gosling survival this year was better than I thought it was
going to be after the flooding spring rains," said Robinson. Overall,
we captured 82 broods of geese, and the average brood size was 4.8
goslings/brood, which was only slightly less than last year. The brood
sizes were definitely larger in the North Country and in western areas,
and smaller in the southeast because of the rain.
Final season dates and bag limits for the 2006-07 waterfowl hunting
season have been set. The state's waterfowl hunting season is similar
to last year's, with a 60-day duck season and a six-bird daily limit.
Click here for waterfowl dates and bag limits.
"Waterfowl populations in the Atlantic Flyway continue to do well,"
says Robinson. "In the northeast overall, and in N.H. particularly,
mallard and wood duck are in good shape, and Canada goose populations
remain at high levels. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
has recommended liberal season frameworks for ducks." He cautions that
there are some concerns about the status of black ducks, wigeon, scaup
and pintails, as these species remain below population goals.
Hunters of all migratory game birds need a 2006 New Hampshire hunting
license and are required by federal law to register for the National
Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP). Separate HIP permits
are needed in each state. Licensed hunters should call 1-800-207-6183
to get a permit number (there is no charge). Waterfowl hunters must
also buy a federal and a state duck stamp.
Youth Hunt Weekends
The fall months bring two special youth hunting weekends. New
Hampshire's 2006 Youth Waterfowl Weekend is set for September 23 and
24, 2006, and our Youth Deer Weekend this year will be October 21 and
22, 2006. These special youth hunts are held before the regular hunting
seasons open, increasing the kids' chance of seeing game and giving
them a chance to experience hunting with less competition in the woods.
To participate, youths must be under age 16 and must be accompanied by
a properly licensed adult age 18 or older, who cannot carry a firearm.
New Hampshire is a leader in providing youth hunting opportunities.
There's no minimum age for hunting in the Granite State -- though young
hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult -- and kids don't need
a hunting license or hunter education certification until they reach
their 16th birthday. (Kids do need permits for certain species, such as
pheasant, turkey or bear; check the N.H. Hunting Digest.)
Sight-in Day
The Nashua Fish & Game Association is hosting a Sight-in Day to get
your rifle ready for the hunting season on October 15, 2006, from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is open to the public and range officers will
be available to assist. There is a $5 fee for non-members -- 25 rounds
(your ammo) or 60 minutes - and a $5 fee for assisted bore sighting or
scope alignment. For directions, visit www.nfga.org.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is
the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and
their habitats.
A User-Pay, User-Benefit Program
Researching, managing and restoring wildlife are funded by your
license dollars and by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife
Restoration Program. Your purchases of hunting equipment, sporting
firearms and ammunition make a difference to New Hampshire's wildlife
resources and this state's way of life.
Click here to learn more.