Archery seasons for turkey and white-tailed deer get underway Sept. 15, and the statewide resident Canada goose hunt runs Sept. 1-25. Fall hunting seasons for black bear and gray squirrel opened Sept. 1.
Hunting season highlights can be found in the New Hampshire Hunting and Trapping Digest, with season dates, bag limits, check station locations and more. Free copies are available at Fish and Game Department headquarters or from local license agents. The Digest also can be viewed online.
Hunters anticipate opening day of deer season all year. Regular firearms deer hunting season starts Nov. 10. Both the archery and regular firearms seasons for deer again will end one week early in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A. Shotgun turkey season will run Oct. 11-17.
WHITE-TAILED DEER: Archery: Sept. 15-Dec. 15 (ends Dec. 8 in WMU A); Youth Deer Weekend: Oct. 23-24; Muzzleloader Oct. 30-Nov. 9; Firearms: Nov. 10-Dec. 5 (ends Nov. 28 in WMU A).
BLACK BEAR: Starts Sept. 1 (end date varies by WMU). GRAY SQUIRREL: Sept. 1-Jan. 31, 2022; SNOWSHOE HARE: Oct. 1-March 31, 2022 (bag limit varies by WMU); RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 1-Dec. 31; MOOSE: Oct. 16-24 (by permit only); FALL TURKEY: Shotgun: Oct. 11-17 (certain WMUs); Archery: Sept. 15-Dec. 15 (ends Dec. 8 in WMU A).
For additional information, consult the Digest.
Apprentice Hunting Licenses are an option for people age 16 and older who want to try hunting but have not taken Hunter Education, or who have not been able to schedule a field day. The Apprentice Hunting License allows unlicensed people to hunt under the guidance of a licensed hunter age 18 or older. Apprentice licenses are only available at Fish and Game Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord.
New Hampshire hunting licenses and permits can be purchased online anytime.
Enjoy New Hampshire’s big woods safely by wearing hunter/blaze orange. With more than a million acres of public land open to hunting and outdoor recreation, blaze orange is the safe choice for all outdoor enthusiasts this fall.