Granitestatebowhunters.net

[GSBFAdmin]

News from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
Phone: (603) 271-3211
Email: info@wildlife.nh.gov
For information and online licenses, visit http://www.wildnh.com

* * * * * * *

CONTACT:
Mark Ellingwood: (603) 271-2461
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
March 8, 2010


PUBLIC HEARINGS SET FOR PROPOSED WILDLIFE RULE CHANGES

CONCORD, N.H. -- Proposed rule changes affecting hunting and trapping seasons in
New Hampshire for 2010 and 2011 will be discussed at three public hearings being
held by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department on the following dates and
locations:

* Monday, April 5, 6:30 p.m. – N.H. Fish and Game Region 1 Office, North
Country Resource Center, 629 B Main Street, Lancaster, N.H.

* Tuesday, April 6, 6:30 p.m. – Keene High School, 43 Arch Street, Keene,
N.H.

* Thursday, April 8, 6:30 p.m. – N.H. Fish and Game Department
Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H.

Hunters, trappers and other interested constituents are encouraged to attend the
hearings and offer their input on the proposed rules. Public input is considered
during the formulation of final department proposals.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reviews the state’s hunting seasons
every two years to ensure that they are in line with wildlife management
objectives, including those identified in the state’s Big Game Management Plan.
The big game plan guides deer, moose, bear and turkey management in New
Hampshire through the year 2015.

Some of the highlights of the new rule proposals, by species, include:

DEER: In response to two preceding severe winters, Fish and Game is recommending
a more conservative allocation of either-sex days for the coming season. (To
view a chart comparing the proposed either-sex days with the 2009 allocation,
visit the online version of this press release at http://www.huntnh.com/Newsroom/News_2010/News_2010_Q1/wildlife_rules_2010.html.)
In addition, the Department is proposing that archers during the month of
September be restricted to the taking of antlered deer only. Of additional note,
Fish and Game is proposing to eliminate the antler point restriction now in
place in WMU A and to lengthen the current 9-day muzzleloader season in WMU A to
the statewide standard of 11 days (for more background on this issue, visit "The
Science Behind the Seasons" on the Fish and Game website at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/science_behind_seasons_2010.htm).

In an effort to reduce hunting pressure while still meeting Department
objectives for female harvest in WMU M, Fish and Game proposes to allow up to
4,000 hunters to purchase Special Antlerless Deer Permits for Unit M, with the
option to purchase a second permit at the time of the initial purchase. (Last
year, 6,000 Special Unit M deer permits were available, with hunters being
allowed to purchase just one.) Also, in a departure from previous years, Unit M
Special Antlerless Deer Permits could not be used during the first two weeks of
the archery season. Finally, recommendations are being made relative to the
selection of deer registration stations and registration station requirements.

MOOSE: Fish and Game is proposing to issue 395 moose permits statewide for the
2010 and 2011 moose seasons. This represents a reduction from the 2009
allocation of 515 permits. This proposal reflects changes in the state's
regional moose populations relative to existing population goals. A comparison
of past and proposed N.H. moose permit allocation by region is posted at
http://www.huntnh.com/Newsroom/News_2010/News_2010_Q1/wildlife_rules_2010.html.

BEAR: There are no proposed changes in the regional bear seasons, with the
exception that Fish and Game proposes a reduction in the number of bait sites
per hunter in the Central Region, from two to one. This leaves the White
Mountain Region as the only bear management region in the state that allows two
bait sites per hunter. Fish and Game also proposes to eliminate the need for a
special permit to take bear with hounds; hound owners would still need a permit
to run hounds.

TURKEY: Fish and Game is proposing the addition of four Wildlife Management
Units – J1, J2, L and M in the south and eastern parts of the state to the
five-day fall shotgun season. This means that both the southwest and southeast
portions of the state will be open to fall shotgun hunting for turkeys. This
change reflects the continued growth of turkey populations in southeast New
Hampshire. No other season changes are recommended to wild turkey seasons.
Recommendations for turkey registration stations, similar to those for deer, are
also being proposed.

FURBEARERS: Fish and Game is proposing to open the trapping and hunting seasons
for certain aquatic furbearers two weeks earlier in WMUs A – F (northern N.H.),
to facilitate ice-free trapping. In these units, the trapping season would start
on October 15 instead of on November 1, when it opens in the rest of the state.
The coyote trapping season is proposed to be extended to April 10 (it currently
ends on December 31 in the north and January 15 in the south).

SMALL GAME: Fish and Game is not proposing any changes in the small game
seasons.

FOR MORE DETAILS: The complete wildlife rulemaking notice, with original and
proposed rule language for these proposals and a number of others, can be viewed
on the Fish and Game website. Go to http://www.wildnh.com/Legislative/Notices_summary.htm
and click on “Wildlife Rules for 2010-2011”.

Written comments must be received by April 28, 2010. Send to:
comments@wildlife.nh.gov. (use subject line “Comments on Wildlife Rules”); or
write to Executive Director, N.H. Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive,
Concord, NH 03301; or fax to (603) 271-1438.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish,
wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.HuntNH.com.

-###-

--
Copyright 2010 New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive,
Concord, NH 03301. Comments or questions concerning this list should
be directed to jane.vachon@wildlife.nh.gov.