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CONCORD, N.H., -- Despite the hot temperatures and the fact summer is in full swing, many hunters are already thinking ahead to this fall^s hunting seasons.
"It^s really not too soon to be planning, especially if you have to schedule time off from work in advance. That^s why we try to determine season dates as early as we can," says Steve Weber, chief of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department^s Wildlife Division.
September is when hunting begins. First up is the general bear season, which opens September 1. There are an estimated 3,900 black bear in the state, and the hunting should be good. But experienced bear hunters know that their success often depends on food availability.
Bear baiting is allowed starting September 1, and dogs may be used beginning either September 22 or September 29, depending on the wildlife management unit (WMU) in which you hunt. Closing dates for each of these methods vary, so check the 1999-2000 New Hampshire Hunting Digest for specifics.
Bowhunters are next to take to the woods and fields. They have three months -- September 15 to December 15 -- to pursue wild turkey and deer. Deer of either sex may be taken in WMUs A, B, C2, D, and G through M. Antlered deer only are allowed in WMUs C1,E and F.
October 1 is the magic date for most small game hunters. That^s when the season starts for snowshoe hare and cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, pheasant, quail, red and gray fox, and ruffed grouse. Raccoon may be hunted from September 1 through March 1. You can hunt crows from September 15 through December 16, and during the month of March. The season for fisher starts December 1.
Snowshoe hare are on the rise in northern New Hampshire. Hunters should look for 2- to 8-year-old clear-cut sites for best results. An excellent grouse season is also anticipated. A new small game management project has been initiated by the Fish and Game Department to help wildlife biologists learn more about New Hampshire^s small game species and how best to manage for them.
Hunting is allowed year-round for coyote, skunk, weasel, woodchuck, porcupine and wild boar. Boar are not native to New Hampshire, and any that exist are animals that have escaped from a private hunting preserve located in the western part of the state, and their offspring.
The 1999 New Hampshire Hunting Digest will be available in late August. Hunters should check it carefully for regulations pertaining to where and what they are hunting. Check out Fish and Game^s web page for hunting (www.wildlife.state.nh.us/hunting.html) for more information.
Uploaded: 8/6/1999
Uploaded: 8/6/1999