CONTACT:
Dan Bergeron: (603) 271-2461
Mark Ellingwood: (603) 271-2461
March 17, 2021
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will hold two virtual public hearings regarding the 2021-2022 hunting and trapping season rule proposals on the following dates and at the following times. These hearings will be conducted remotely using the Teams communication platform:
- Friday, March 26, 2021 – This hearing begins at 10:00 a.m.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only)
+1 603-931-4944,,461870724# United States, Concord Phone Conference ID: 461 870 724#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
- Tuesday, March 30, 2021 – This hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your compute r or mobile app Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only)
+1 603-931-4944,,920228897# Unite d States, Concord Phone Conference ID: 920 228 897#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
The hearings will be monitored by email for technical issues or access difficulties. Please contact paul.sanderson@wildlife.nh.gov with issues related to logging in to either of these hearings.
To more efficiently conduct these hearings, please honor these requests:
- These are public comment hearings, substantive questions regarding these rules proposals will not be answered by department staff.
- Comments should be limited to the issues proposed in the rules only.
- Any groups attending should appoint a single spokesperson to represent their position and voice and communicate many members are represented by these comments.
Changes are typically recommended every two years to ensure that season dates and bag limits properly align with species population goals identified in the state’s ten-year Game Management Plan. Proposed revisions are based on a review of field data including recent hunting season results and other scientific information.
The complete rulemaking notice as well as an individual analysis of each managed game species can be viewed by visiting the Wildlife Rules Proposals for 2021-2022 webpage at https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/hunting/season-setting.html.
The following are some selected highlights of the proposed 2021-2022 wildlife rules package. These highlights do not represent a comprehensive list of all proposed changes. New Hampshire’s regional deer, bear, and turkey populations are stable or increasing in most areas of the state. Thus, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is able to propose additional hunting opportunities in various regions.
Deer: New Hampshire’s 2020 deer seasons resulted in the fourth highest deer harvest in 97 years. The rule proposals call for enhanced hunting opportunity in 9 of the 20 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in the state. These opportunities include additional either-sex hunting opportunities in WMUs D2W, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, and K and allowance for the use of crossbows during the archery season in WMUs L and M. The proposals also call for reductions in either-sex days in three northern units (A, B, and C2) to allow populations to recover following recent declines.
Under the new proposals, it would no longer be necessary to purchase an annual deer crossbow permit to use a crossbow during the deer firearms season. Crossbows could be used as a lesser weapon during the muzzleloader and firearms seasons.
Bear: Because bear populations are above goal in several of the state’s six bear management regions, additional reductions are needed. Extending the baiting season by 7 days in the Central, Southwest 1, Southwest 2, and Southeast Regions and extending the still hunting season by 28 days in the Southwest 2 and Southeast Regions has been proposed.
Turkey: The turkey population is stable or increasing throughout the state, therefore the department is proposing to maintain the same season structure as in 2020. Other turkey-focused proposals include permitting the use of .410 and 28-gauge shotguns with specific shot restrictions on high-density loads.
Moose: The Department recommends the issuance of 42 either-sex moose permits for the fall 2021 moose season. Of these, 1 permit will be allocated for the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation’s Dream Hunts program and 1 permit will be issued for use by the New Hampshire Wildlife Heritage Foundation. This allocation of permits is a decrease from 2020. Populations in the Central and Southwest Regions have dropped below thresholds set in the state’s Game Management Plan, therefore the department is proposing to temporarily suspend permit issuance in these regions to allow for population rebound.
The 2021-2022 rule proposal package would also:
- Allow properly licensed deer and bear hunters who have already filled their tags to accompany youth hunters and individuals who have purchased an Apprentice Hunting License.
- Require hunters and trappers to provide the department with the lower jaw of any harvested fisher during the sealing process, allowing the department to track the age structure of the population and provide better information regarding the health of the state’s fisher population.
The public may submit written comments now through April 6, 2021. Comments can be emailed to comments@wildlife.nh.gov (using the subject line “Comments on 2021-22 Wildlife Rules Proposals,” PDF format preferred), mailed to Executive Director, NH Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301, or faxed to (603) 271-5829.
Updates to and information on the 2021-2022 biennial season-setting process can be found at www.wildnh.com/legislative/proposed-rules.html.
