Opening Day for New Hampshire's 2010 regular firearm deer season is November 10, 2010.

General Deer Season Dates for 2010:

• Archery: Sept. 15 - Dec. 15, 2010 ( NOTE: Legally antlered bucks only from Sept. 15-30; season closes on Dec. 8 in WMU A)
• Muzzleloader: Oct. 30 - Nov. 9, 2010 Statewide
• Firearms: Nov. 10 - Dec. 5, 2010 (closes November 28 in WMU A)
• Youth Deer Weekend: Oct. 23 - 24, 2010

NEW for 2010: There is no longer an antler point restriction in WMU A. The muzzleloader season in WMU A will be the same as the rest of the state this year. From September 15 to September 30, archers may only take legally antlered bucks statewide (click here for background).

Photo © Charles H. Willey

Deer-hunting links:

• New! 2010 Deer Hunt Outlook, by Kent Gustafson, Deer Biologist
• 2010 deer season dates
• Click to download and print the handy 1-page WMU map and 2010 deer season dates (PDF, 186 KB)
• The Science Behind the Seasons
• Maps of Wildlife Management Units
• Click to download a printable DEER TAG! (PDF) If possible, please use this instead of the back cover of the NH Hunting Digest. Thanks.
• Field Care of Big Game (PDF)
• Special Unit M Deer Permits
• 2009 estimated deer harvest by county
• Deer harvest summary, end of season, past years
• 2009 Wildlife Harvest Summary (click here and on publication cover at right; includes detailed data by town, sex, trophy stats)
• 2010 Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge Shotgun Only Deer Hunt

Buy your N.H. hunting license online - Click here!

Special rules for WMU A: The archery and rifle deer seasons are shortened in that unit -- please note specific dates below.

Youth Deer Weekend: Non-resident youth hunters may participate in the N.H. Youth Hunt Weekend for Deer only if New Hampshire youth may hunt during special youth deer hunts in their state.

Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan for the Northeast region, approved by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, November 2006 (219 KB, PDF format*)

2010 New Hampshire Deer Season Dates
Wildlife Management Units	Method/Sex	Inclusive Dates
Archery	Archery
WMU A -- NOTE: In WMU A, archery deer season ends one week early.	Antlered Deer Only Any Deer	Sept. 15-30 Oct. 1 - Dec. 8
WMUs B-M	Antlered Deer Only Any Deer	Sept. 15-30 Oct. 1-Dec. 15
Special 2nd Archery Deer Permit	Antlered Deer Only
Youth Weekend	Youth Weekend
STATEWIDE (Non-resident youth hunters may participate, provided N.H. youth can hunt during youth deer hunts in their state; click for info.)	Any Deer	Oct. 23 - Oct. 24
Muzzleloader	Muzzleloader
WMUs A, B, C1, C2, D1, E, F, G, I1, I2, J1	Antlered Deer Only	Oct. 30 - Nov. 9
WMUs D2, J2	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Oct. 30 ONLY Oct 31 - Nov. 9
WMU K	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Oct. 30-31 Nov. 1 - Nov. 9
WMUs H1, H2	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 Nov. 2 - Nov. 9
WMU L	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Oct. 30 - Nov. 5 Nov. 6 - Nov. 9
WMU M	Any Deer	Oct. 30 - Nov. 9
Regular Firearms	Regular Firearms
WMU A -- NOTE: Regular firearm deer season ends one week early.	Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Nov. 28
WMUs B, C1, C2, D1, E, F, G, I1, I2, J1	Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Dec. 5
WMUs D2, J2	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 ONLY Nov. 11 - Dec. 5
WMU K	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Nov 11 Nov. 12 - Dec. 5
WMUs H1, H2	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Nov. 12 Nov. 13 - Dec. 5
WMU L	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Nov. 16 Nov. 17 - Dec. 5
WMU M	Any Deer Antlered Deer Only	Nov. 10 - Nov. 19 Nov. 20 - Dec. 5
Unit M Special Permits	Antlerless-only permits for WMU M are available now -- with option of 1 or 2 deer tags. Click here for more information.

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Click on the topic for more information on:

• Deer hunting rules and regulations
• Deer check stations
• Deer season results by WMU for the last 6 years
• Special Deer Permit for Archery
• Special Unit M Antlerless Deer Permits.
• For hunting guides, butchers and taxidermists, click here to go to our main hunting page, where these links are provided.
• Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Update and Q&A -- click here.
  

Did You Know?

• OPEN LAND: NH has more than 200,000 acres of state land; 750,000 acres of White Mountain National Forest; and thousands of acres of private land open to hunting.
• SUNDAY HUNTING: We have it, some states don't... we won't name any names!

Related press releases:

• 2009 New Hampshire Deer Hunting Season Results
• 2009 Deer Hunting Season Going Well - mid-November Update
• 2009 Youth Deer Results

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a brain disease that is fatal to deer and elk, continues to be a concern to deer hunters and managers in New Hampshire and New England. Annual monitoring efforts since 2002 have not detected CWD in any New England state. Prevention of CWD in New Hampshire remains a top priority. Click here to learn more about CWD, a serious potential threat to our deer herd.

Hunters travelling outside of N.H. should be aware that regulations prohibit the importation into New Hampshire of hunter-killed deer and elk carcasses or parts of carcasses from the 19 U.S. states and Canadian provinces where CWD has been found, except for de-boned meat, antlers, antlers attached to skull caps with all soft tissue removed, upper canine teeth with all soft tissue removed, hides or capes with no part of the head attached and finished taxidermy mounts. New York remains the state closest to New Hampshire where CWD has been found, but other eastern states where CWD has been detected include Virginia and West Virginia.

For lodging and camping information, visit the New Hampshire Office of Travel & Tourism Development at www.visitnh.gov.

Click here to buy your N.H. hunting license online - any time! Click here to go to the main hunting page to look at the NH Hunting & Trapping Digest, or for other general hunting information.

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