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Important Hunting Regulations
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Archery:
An archery license allows a person to hunt wildlife in season
with a bow and arrow and allows the taking of one deer by bow and
arrow during the open archery season. Deer taken with bow and arrow
must be taken to the first open registration station within 24 hours.
A conservation officer may request to see the head and hide within
48 hours of killing. No call is necessary for archery-killed
deer. Archers must have their name and address on arrows. Fixed-blade
broadheads cannot be less than 7/8 inches wide and not more than
1 1/2 inches wide. Retractable blade broadheads are permitted.
Archers who have a regular hunting
license may carry a firearm. A person with a regular hunting license
may hunt with a bow and arrow for deer, but only during the regular
firearms season for deer and in accordance with the regulations
for taking deer with a firearm (see season dates). In this situation,
the archer must follow deer wildlife management unit restrictions
for the regular hunting season.
Bear Brook Refuge, within Bear Brook
State Park, is open only to archery hunting for deer. No firearms
are allowed in Bear Brook Refuge. <return to top
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Accompanied:
Within sight and hearing, excluding electronic devices,
when actual physical direction and control can be affected. <return
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Bear:
A bear license and tag are required, in addition to a hunting
or archery license. The limit is one bear by any legal method. Successful
hunters must notify a conservation officer within 12 hours of taking
a bear by calling 603-271-3361 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and may
be required to take a Department employee to the kill site. Within
24 hours after time of kill, the hunter must exhibit the bear to
a conservation officer, with reproductive organs attached. <return
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To bait bear, a permit (Fish and
Game form 180) and map of the bait site must be filed with the local
conservation officer before placing the bait. One bait site is allowed
in WMUs A, B, D1, H1, H2, I2, K, L and M; two baits are allowed
in the remainder of the state. Only the person listed on the permit
may bait or add any bait. The bait site must have a legible sign,
at least 3 inches by 6 inches, with baiter's name and address and
may have names of 2 other persons listed who could then take bear
over the bait. Baiting permits are available at regional offices
(click here for more information on obtaining
bear baiting permits).
To hunt bear with dogs, a permit
is required and available by mail from the Law Enforcement Division
at Fish and Game's headquarters. Nonresidents must show proof that
hunting bear with dogs is allowed in their state of residency. <return
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Deer:
To hunt deer with a shotgun or rifle during the firearms
season, a resident or nonresident hunting license is required. To
hunt deer during the muzzleloader season, a person needs a hunting
license, plus a muzzleloader license. No separate muzzleloader tag
is issued. Deer may be hunted in the Bear Brook Refuge with bow
and arrow only. <return to top of page>
Discharge
Restrictions/Compact Areas: It is illegal to shoot a firearm
or bow and arrow within 300 feet of a permanently occupied dwelling
without permission of the owner or occupant, or from the owner of
the land on which the person shooting the firearm or bow and arrow
is situated. A firearm may not be discharged within 300 feet of
any commercial, educational or medical building, or outdoor public
gathering place.
Firearms may not be discharged within
the compact area of any town or city (any contiguous area containing
6 or more buildings used as part time or permanent dwellings where
each is within 300 feet of one of the other buildings, plus a 300-foot-wide
perimeter around all of the buildings).
Hunters should check with city or
town offices regarding local ordinances on the discharge of firearms.
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Lacey Act: Interstate
transportation of wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold
in violation of a state law is a violation of federal law. The penalty
can be up to $250,000 and 5 years in prison. All owls and hawks
are protected by state and federal regulations. <return
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Migratory Birds:
These include woodcock, snipe, and waterfowl and may be
hunted during the open seasons from 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.
Bag limits, restricted areas, and season dates
for waterfowl will be available at regional offices, Fish and Game
headquarters and this website after August.
It is unlawful to hunt migratory birds with a
shotgun larger than 10 gauge or use a shotgun capable of holding
more than 3 rounds of ammunition: one in the chamber, and the magazine
must be plugged to hold no more than 2 rounds. It is illegal to
possess any shotgun shells containing lead shot while hunting migratory
waterfowl.
Placing bait or hunting over baited areas is
prohibited. It is also unlawful to have a loaded firearm in a motorboat
under power or hunt from a motorboat or sailboat until all
forward motion has ceased.
Hunting waterfowl requires federal and state
duck stamps with hunter's name signed across the face of both stamps,
in addition to a N.H. hunting license and a Harvest
Information Program (HIP) permit. Federal and state duck stamps
are not required to hunt woodcock and snipe, but a HIP permit is.
Minors under age 16 may hunt when they are accompanied
by a properly licensed adult (18 or older) and possess the appropriate
waterfowl stamps.
Areas closed to duck hunting: Fish and Game's
executive director has closed certain areas to waterfowl hunting
when, in the director's opinion, it would be dangerous to human
life. For a list and description of these closed areas, contact
the Fish and Game regional office nearest you, or call Fish and
Game headquarters at 603-271-3211. <return to
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Moose: Only
persons possessing a valid hunting license and a valid moose permit
or subpermittee's permit may participate in the annual moose hunt.
Limit one moose. Moose hunting permits are non-transferrable and
are allocated through a random number computer lottery each June.
Resident permits are $100; nonresident permits are $300. Lottery
applications and information sheets may be obtained from all license
agents, Fish and Game regional offices and on this web site. Click
here for a moose hunt Q&A.
Moose applications must be postmarked or submitted
online before midnight Eastern Time on the last Friday in May. Applicants
must be at least 16 years old before the cut-off date. All applications
must be legible, filled out correctly and mailed to Fish and Game
headquarters in Concord with a fee of $10 in the form of a check
or money order. No person may file more than one application. Successful
applicants are notified within 10 days of lottery drawing.<return
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Muzzleloader:
A muzzleloader is defined as a single barrel, single shot
firearm (40 caliber or greater) that can only be loaded from the
muzzle. While hunting, you are allowed a maximum of one muzzleloading
rifle and one muzzleloading pistol, as defined above, in your possession.
A muzzleloading license does not come with a deer tag. Hunters must
have both a muzzleloading license to hunt deer with a muzzleloader
during the special muzzleloader season. If you shoot a deer with
a muzzleloader during the muzzleloader season, you must use your
deer tag that is provided with the regular hunting license. <return
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Night hunting for
coyotes: Coyotes may be hunted at night from Jan. 1 through
March 31. In shotgun-only towns for deer, hunters must use either
shotguns, 22-cal. rimfire rifles, muzzleloaders or bow and arrow
to hunt coyote. Lights may be used, except from a motor vehicle
or OHRV. Electronic calling devices are legal. Baiting is not permitted
on ice-covered public waters. Written landowner permission filed
with the local conservation officer is required to hunt coyote at
night or to place bait for coyotes. <return to
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Trapping: Any
person (regardless of age) must have a license to trap any wild
animal, except resident owners of farmlands when trapping on their
own land. To be issued a trapping license, you must present proof
that you've taken a trapper education course or previously held
a license to trap. <return to top of page>
Trapping licenses cost $28.50; applications are
available at Fish and Game's Concord headquarters (603-271-3421).
Trappers must also: have written landowner permission and provide
a copy of the permit to the local conservation officer; mark their
name on each trap; check their traps daily; and file a report to
Fish and Game of animals taken each season. For more information
on trapping regulations and seasons, contact Fish and Game headquarters
at 603-271-3421. <return to top of page>
Tree Stands/Blinds:
Written landowner permission is required for any tree stand,
ladder or observation blind that damages or destroys a tree by inserting
into the tree any metallic, ceramic, or other object. Written landowner
permission is also required if any tree is cut in conjunction with
the use of any stand or blind to construct a pit blind. <return
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Turkey: Turkey
hunters must obtain a $16 wild turkey license. All hunters must have
a N.H. hunting or archery license. Permits are available online or from
Fish and Game's Concord headquarters and license agents. If applying
by mail, enclose a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope, along with
a full name, address, phone number and current license type and
number.
It is unlawful to take turkey with a rifle, dogs (during the spring),
electronic calling device, live decoys, or in a tree. If using a
bow, it must be at least a 30-pound bow at 28 inches or less. Arrows
must have the archer's name and address. Fixed-blade broadheads
can not be less than 7/8 inches wide and not more than 1 1/2 inches
wide. Retractable blade broadheads are allowed.
Spring Season: One bearded turkey per hunter. In the spring, a turkey
may be taken by archery or with a 10, 12, 16, or 20 gauge shotgun,
using 2, 4, 5, or 6 size shot.
Youth Turkey Weekend: First full weekend prior to May 3. All youth MUST possess a current turkey license.
Fall Archery Season: One turkey of either sex
per hunter. Open in WMUs B-M.
Fall Shotgun Season: A five-day season is available in select WMUs. Click for details on our Turkey Hunting page.
The turkey must be tagged immediately upon killing.
Registration is required, and the bird must be a fully intact carcass,
which may be gutted. All turkeys must be registered within 12 hours
of killing, and all turkeys taken in the fall must be reported to
a conservation officer within 24 hours.
A person who has taken a turkey may assist another
properly licensed turkey hunter by calling only. The person assisting
by calling shall not possess a firearm or bow and arrow.
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Wildlife Protected:
Wildlife not listed in this digest of regulations is protected
by New Hampshire or federal law, and may not be hunted. This includes
spotted, wood, Blanding's and Eastern box turtles. <return
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Wildlife with No
Closed Season: A hunting license is required to hunt coyote, porcupine, red squirrel, woodchuck, European starling,
feral pigeon, and English sparrow. <return to
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REMEMBER:
- Your hunting and fishing license is subject
to inspection by any person upon demand.
- All hunting accidents must be reported.
- A landowner has the legal right to order you
off his or her land, whether or not it is posted.
- You must have permission to hunt or fish if
the land is posted.
- Littering is a misdemeanor and sufficient
cause to revoke your license.
- The license you hold will be suspended
for any violation of Fish and Game laws and rules. <return
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Towns with Special Rules:
Deer hunting and night hunting of coyotes is allowed only by
shotgun, muzzleloading rifle, handguns in calibers .357 Magnum,
10mm Automatic, .41 Remington, .44 Magnum, .45 Long
Colt, .480 Ruger or .50 Magnum, or bow and arrow or crossbow
in the following towns:
Belknap: Laconia; Meredith Neck: the part from the Meredith-
Center Harbor line to Pleasant Street south and east of Route 25.
Hillsborough: Amherst; Bedford; Brookline; Goffstown; Hollis;
Hudson; Litchfield; Manchester; Merrimack; Milford; Nashua;
Pelham.
Merrimack: Concord; Hooksett: that part lying from the town
line of Allenstown, on the westerly side of Route 3, to a point where
the old Portsmouth Railroad crosses the highway, then south of
the railroad to the town line of Candia; Pembroke: that part lying
south westerly of the following line: starting at the Concord town
line at Red Bridge on Rte. 106, south to Burrough (Borough) Road,
then easterly on Burrough (Borough) Road to Fourth Range Road,
then southerly on Fourth Range Road to Dudley Hill Road, south
on Dudley Hill Road to Buck Street, northeast on Buck Street to
Route 28, south on Route 28 to the Allenstown town line. (See Bow, below).
Rockingham: Atkinson; Auburn*; Brentwood; Chester*; Danville;
Derry; East Kingston; Exeter; Fremont; Greenland*;
Hampstead; Hampton; Hampton Falls; Kensington; Kingston;
Londonderry; Newfields; Newington*; Newmarket; Newton;
North Hampton; Plaistow; Portsmouth*; Rye; Salem; Sandown;
Seabrook; South Hampton; Stratham*; Windham.
Strafford: Durham; Madbury; Lee; Dover; Rollinsford; Somersworth.
* Buckshot prohibited for taking deer in these towns (RSA 208:3-a).
Additional Restrictions:
New Castle: Hunting prohibited except: shotgun fired over water,
or landowner or a person with landowner permission using a
shotgun where shot lands on their property or the water.
Bow: All hunting is forbidden in the following area with any
firearm other than a shotgun, muzzleloading rifle or bow and
arrow or crossbow: southeast from the Concord-Bow boundary
line along the west bank of the Merrimack River, then westerly
along the Bow-Hooksett boundary line, then northerly along
I-93, then westerly along Robinson Road, then northwest along
Branch Londonderry Turnpike East, then southerly along Woodhill
Road, then southwesterly along Dunbarton Center Road to
the Bow-Dunbarton boundary line, then northwesterly along the
Bow-Dunbarton boundary line to the Bow-Hopkinton boundary
line, then easterly along the Bow-Hopkinton boundary line to
the Bow-Concord boundary line, then southeasterly and easterly
along the Bow-Concord boundary line to the west bank of the
Merrimack River.
General Hunting Laws
Loss of License: Anyone found guilty of violating
any Fish and Game regulation will lose his or her hunting privileges
for a minimum of one year.
It is unlawful to:
- negligently shoot, wound or kill a human being
while hunting, or abandon a wounded or killed human being;
- negligently discharge a firearm or cause death,
injury or damage to domestic animals or property while hunting;
- possess a firearm with ammunition, bow and
arrow or crossbow and bolt while attempting to locate or illuminate
wild animals at night;
- illuminate wild animals from Sept. 1 to Dec.
1, except moose from Sept. 1 to the 2nd Tuesday in October from
sunrise to 9 p.m.;
- hunt from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour
before sunrise, unless specifically regulated in this book;
- shoot while hunting from or across the right-of-way
of any town or state-maintained road (if uncertain of type of
road, don't shoot);
- hunt from inside of or on the surface of,
any type of motorized vehicle, including aircraft, motor vehicle,
or OHRV;
- hunt from a boat or canoe before all movement
from mechanical power has stopped;
- carry a loaded firearm with ammunition in
the chamber, clip or magazine leaning against, inside of, or on
the surface of any type of motorized vehicle moving or stationary;
- bait for game animals, including deer, bear,
furbearers or coyote from April 15 through Aug. 31;
- bait for game animals, including deer, bear
or coyote, without written landowner permission filed with a conservation
officer;
- enter posted land without permission of the
owner;
- willfully tear down, obstruct or leave open
any fence, gate or bar belonging to, or enclosing land of another
person or remove or deface any posted sign or property;
- litter on any public or private land;
- hunt with a fully automatic firearm. It is
also illegal to hunt with a semi-automatic rifle with a clip or
magazine holding more than five cartridges (except .22 cal rimfire
rifles and pistols), or use full-jacketed metal case bullets;
- possess more than one of any type of regular
hunting license or permit, use another person's license or permit,
or allow another person to use use your license or permit. <return
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What if I find a
dead Deer, Bear, Moose?
If you find a dead deer, bear or moose you did
not kill, do not tag or move it. Contact a conservation officer.
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It is unlawful
to:
- buy, sell or offer for sale a deer, bear,
moose or any part thereof, other than the head, hide or feet;
- take more than one bear in a calendar year;
- hunt or take moose without a special moose
permit;
- kill any deer with antlers less than 3 inches
during the ANTLERED-ONLY deer season;
- possess a deer or bear that hasn't been properly
tagged;
- possess a detached deer or bear tag. Upon
killing a deer or bear, the tag shall be filled out and immediately
attached to the deer or bear;
- assist another in taking a deer or bear after
you have taken one, unless you possess a valid unused tag;
- tag, steal, take or carry away a deer, moose
or bear belonging to another person;
- fail to register a deer at the closest registration
station within 24 hours of killing;
- hunt deer or bear with 1) a .22 caliber rimfire
rifle, 2) a single barrel, single shot muzzleloader less than
.40 caliber, 3) a bow of less than 40 lbs. pull at 28 inches or
less draw, 4) or an arrow without name and address and a fixed
blade broadhead less than 7/8 inches wide or more than 1 1/2 inches
wide, and 5) birdshot or shot smaller than 00 buckshot;
- hunt bear with a shotgun using other than
a single projectile;
- have more than six persons participate in
a drive to take deer;
- hunt deer or bear on islands, or in the water
of any lake or pond in the state;
- use telemetry equipment from 1/2 hour before
sunrise through 1/2 hour after sunset to locate, trail or tree
hounds while in a motorized vehicle or within 300 feet as measured
from the center of the traveled portion of any public highway
or any private road open to public use. <return
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