CONTACT:
Dan Bergeron: (603) 271-2461
Mark Ellingwood: (603) 271-2461
November 1, 2019
CONCORD, NH – Over 20,000 muzzleloader hunters are expected to take to New Hampshire’s woodlands during the upcoming muzzleloader deer season, which runs from November 2-12, 2019. Muzzleloaders are single barrel, single shot firearms which require the bullets, primer, and powder to be loaded through a muzzle each time before firing. It has become a popular sport in recent years.
“Deer hunting is very popular in New Hampshire,” according to Mark Ellingwood, Chief of the Fish and Game Department’s Wildlife Division. “People enjoy the opportunity to spend time in the field with friends and family. They also appreciate the high food value of venison, which is a naturally-fed, free-range source of lean protein for thousands of New Hampshire families. Last year, hunters harvested approximately 14,000 deer in our state. If you assume each deer provides 40 pounds of venison, and that each venison meal weighs 1 pound, that amounts to over a half a million meals of venison enjoyed each year.”
Dan Bergeron, Deer Biologist for the Fish and Game Department, notes that, “New Hampshire’s 11-day muzzleloader season is extremely popular among hunters because of its early timing, milder weather, and the high level of buck activity that happens leading up to the peak of breeding in mid to late November.” In 2018, over 23,000 people bought licenses to hunt during the muzzleloader season for deer, and 2019 is on its way to matching last year’s participation rate with nearly 19,000 licenses already sold.
In New Hampshire, muzzleloader hunters are given 11 days prior to the opening day of the regular firearms season to hunt deer. This year’s muzzleloader season is November 2-12. Hunters must have a regular hunting license ($32.00 for residents; $113.00 for nonresidents) and a muzzleloader license ($16.00 for residents; $41.00 for nonresidents).
To buy a 2019 hunting or muzzleloader license visit www.nhfishandgame.com. Licenses may also be purchased at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
“Hunters are reminded to maintain safety as their first priority,” said Bergeron. They are also urged to treat private landowners with respect, courtesy, and appreciation. “We are heavily dependent on the generosity of private landowners for hunting access in our state. We owe it to private landowners and our peers to treat private land as sacred ground. Without private land access, many hunters would be severely restricted in their hunting options.”
To learn more about hunting in New Hampshire, visit www.huntnh.com.
