The 2018 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary is now available.
The publication presents final data on the 2018 New Hampshire hunting seasons summarized by Fish and Game wildlife biologists.
The annual publication provides a complete analysis of hunting season statistics, including some information by town and Wildlife Management Unit (WMU), and is available online (select 2018).
The report shows the 2018 deer season resulted in a total harvest of 14,113 deer. The adult (antlered) buck kill of 8,029 deer was the largest number documented in the state since recordkeeping began in 1922.
Archers took 3,962 deer, the youth weekend accounted for 393 deer harvested, and muzzleloader and regular firearm hunters took 2,705 and 7,053 deer, respectively.
The Harvest Summary includes data from the NH Trophy Deer Program, run by the NH Antler and Skull Trophy Club, which annually recognizes hunters who harvest deer with a weight of 200 pounds or more by each of the three hunting methods: archery, muzzleloader, and regular firearms.
The heaviest deer of 2018, weighing 278 pounds, was taken by James Koleser of Monroe, Conn., using a muzzleloader.
The harvest total of 1,053 bears exceeded the previous record of 898 in 2016. The increase in harvest is largely the result of extremely scarce fall mast crops in much of the state in 2018, which also led to increased bear-human interactions.
The spring turkey harvest was 4,204 birds, a decrease from 4,482 turkeys in 2017. The average annual harvest has been about 4,000 turkeys for the past 10 years.
The fall turkey harvest of 1,283 birds was up significantly from 2017 when only 450 turkeys were taken. Like bear, fall turkeys were more vulnerable to harvest as a result of the scarcity of food.
The 2018 Harvest Summary also provides statistics for moose and furbearers.