CONTACT: Dan Bergeron: (603) 271-2461 Jay Martin: (603) 271-3211 November 10, 2020

Concord, NH – The regular firearms deer hunting season opens tomorrow in New Hampshire, a big day for the state’s 55,000+ hunters.

The firearms deer season runs through December 6 in most of the state. In Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A, the northernmost in New Hampshire, the season closes November 29.

Hunters should check the New Hampshire Hunting & Trapping Digest for WMU-specific regulations. This go-to publication is available online at http://www.huntnh.com/hunting/publications.html, at license agents around the state, or at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord. You’ll find additional information about deer hunting in New Hampshire on the Fish and Game Department website at www.huntnh.com/hunting/deer.html.

Hunters are reminded not to use urine-based lures. These products can potentially spread Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurological disorder that is always fatal to white-tailed deer and moose. Synthetic lures are strongly recommended. If the bottle or package does not say “synthetic” the product is likely natural urine. Hunters traveling out of state should also remember that whole deer carcasses cannot be brought into New Hampshire from any jurisdiction that has documented CWD. A full list of CWD-positive jurisdictions and a list of what can be brought back into the state can be found on the Fish and Game website. Do your part to help keep our deer herd safe. Learn more at www.huntnh.com/wildlife/cwd.

Deer must be registered at the closest open registration station within 24 hours of harvest. A list of New Hampshire deer check stations, with contact information, is available at www.huntnh.com/hunting/deer-check-stations.html. During the first two days of the muzzleloader season and three of the first four days of the firearms season, Fish and Game biologists are stationed at several of the busier registration stations around the state to collect more detailed biological data on the state’s deer herd. Data collected at these biological check stations include body weights, antler measurements, reproductive assessments, and age estimates based on tooth wear. Such data are critical to helping track the health of the state’s deer population.

View a short video about what goes on at a deer bio-check station at: www.huntnh.com/hunting/deer-check-stations.html.

Hunting licenses can be purchased online at www.huntnh.com, from license agents statewide, or at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. Headquarters will be closed on Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Hunters age 15 and younger do not need a license, but do need permits for some species, such as turkey and bear, and must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult who is at least 18 years of age.

The public is encouraged to participate in protecting New Hampshire’s wildlife resources by reporting wildlife crime. You can report violations to Fish and Game’s Operation Game Thief online anytime at www.wildnh.com/ogt, or call the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-344-4262. Hunters with full freezers are reminded that the New Hampshire Food Bank is seeking donations of USDA-approved processed deer. This venison provides a valuable source of meat for food programs around the state. For more information, call (603) 669-9725 or visit www.nhfoodbank.org.