“The mild winter of 2009-10 combined with a reduced antlerless kill will help the state’s population recover from recent declines,” said Gustafson. Another mild winter and reduced antlerless kill in winter affected areas will increase deer numbers back toward the population objectives.

New Hampshire has an estimated population of about 85,000 deer, with the 2010 kill representing about 11.5% of that total. Deer hunting closed in the state on December 15, the final day of the archery deer season.

The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire’s 2010 season by county, with comparisons to previous years, is posted at www.huntnh.com/Hunting/deer_hunt_take_by_County.htm. These figures are estimates based on the number of deer reported as being registered in each county (not necessarily killed in that county).

The unofficial harvest tally for New Hampshire’s 2010 bear season is 706 bears. While the harvest was down 7% from 2009, when 758 bears were taken (the second highest bear harvest in the state’s history), the 2010 season concluded 36% above the preceding 5-year-average of 520 bears. The 2010 harvest consisted of 361 males and 345 females.

Bear harvest distribution by method was 53% by bait hunters, 36% by still hunters and 11% by hound hunters. These harvest distributions are consistent with those achieved during recent years. While method-specific harvest percentages are influenced by the distribution and abundance of natural foods from one year to the next, hunter preference does play a significant role. Bear baiting has grown in popularity as reflected by harvest statistics.

A preliminary breakdown of 2010 bear season results by region and method may be found at www.huntnh.com/Hunting/bear_hunt_take.htm.

Final official numbers from the 2010 hunting seasons will be available in the 2010 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, which comes out in March of 2011.

New Hampshire’s successful 2010 hunting seasons are a reminder that hunting activities, made possible by science-based wildlife management, contribute significantly to New Hampshire’s economy. The most recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey indicates that approximately 61,000 people hunt in New Hampshire, generating more than $75 million in hunting-related expenditures annually in the state.

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

Allard had gotten home from work after dark and proceeded to take his household trash out to the apartment complex’s dumpster, which is equipped with a bear-proof steel top. As Allard approached the dumpster, he noticed that the side door was open, but because of the darkness, he did not notice a bear rummaging around inside it. He threw his garbage bag into the dumpster, which startled the bear. The surprised bruin immediately reached its paw out to grab the side of the dumpster to pull itself out. In the process, the bear’s paw scratched Allard’s shoulder, causing him to fall backwards to the ground. Allard immediately got to his feet, backed away and watched the bear climb out of the dumpster and run off into the woods.

Allard sustained three cuts to his right shoulder that measured approximately 5 inches in length, requiring 16 stitches. He recounted that he was immediately frightened by the bear, but quickly realized that the animal was as startled by the incident as he was. He did not feel that the bear was acting aggressively, but rather was trying to escape as quickly as possible.

Allard said that residents of the apartment complex occasionally see bears at the facility’s dumpster, but not on a routine basis. This bear had been at the dumpster several nights before, and had shown up periodically throughout the summer. As a result of bears getting into garbage in years past, the facility had installed bear-proof dumpsters with locking metal tops and side doors. The side door had been kept shut with a clip, but the clip had since broken. As a result, the bear was able to open the side door, climb in and access the garbage.

Bears are easily attracted to accessible food supplies including garbage, says Andy Timmins, bear biologist for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

“Fish and Game, in conjunction with USDA-Wildlife Services, responds to approximately 600 bear complaints per year, many of which are caused by garbage that is available to bears,” said Timmins. “Accessible dumpsters continue to be a growing problem in the state. Most dumpsters have either plastic tops or dilapidated metal tops that will not keep bears out. A bear-proof dumpster must have a metal top that can be locked so that a bear cannot get on top of the dumpster and pull the top open. Side doors must be locked shut with a sturdy clip or latch. If you discover that clips and locks are worn or broken, replace them with new components. If your current dumpster is inadequate, contact your dumpster company and request a dumpster that will keep a bear out. If you notice a bear frequenting your yard, immediately address the attractants.”

In terms of bear/human conflicts, this year appears similar to average years, according to Timmins. This year, however, a large number of the complaints came over a relatively short period of time, specifically during July and early August. In many years, abundant summer food crops cause bear complaints to drop-off dramatically by mid to late July. This year, poor blueberry and raspberry crops during July perpetuated complaints during that month. The abundant blackberry crop over the past couple of weeks has resulted in a recent decline in complaints.

The North Conway incident and others throughout the state are a reminder that residents, visitors and business owners must all do their part in preventing conflicts with bears by keeping garbage, grills, birdseed, pet food and other attractants locked away. For more information, visit http://www.wildnh.com/Wildlife/Somethings_Bruin.htm.

If you have questions about bear-related problems, you can get technical advice by calling the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, located in Concord, N.H., at the following toll-free number: 1-888-749-2327 (1-888-SHY-BEAR).

The weather has been basically quite dry; a change from the past two summers where it seemed to rain relentlessly. The temperatures have, for the most part, been a bit above normal, with some exceptions. Last week heading into the Fourth of July holiday period a front passed through drying out the air and ushering in considerably cool temperatures. So much so that snow fell on top of Mt. Washington, and came down at such a rate the Auto Road and Observatory at the summit were closed.

Snow falling on top of Mt. Washington – just over 5,200 elevation – in July isn’t all that rare, but consider the following:

From my camp, you can walk approximately 500 feet out to the point of land where there is a big rock and a fire pit. I have shown you this spot before. From there you can see Mt. Washington – as the crow flies approximately 20 miles.

This photo, which is very hazy, prohibits seeing the Presidential Range.

Down here in the valley, the daytime temperatures struggled to reach the low 60s, with gusty winds and intermittent rain squalls. Needless to say, to sit outside, I had to bundle up to stay warm, even sitting beside the campfire. (Forties at night)

Now tick the clock forward 3 days and today the temperature peaked at around 3 p.m. at 92 degrees here at camp, while in Largo, Florida, my legal residence, and that place nobody wants to live in the summer because they say it gets too damned hot, reached 82 degrees with showers.

The forecast for Bethel, Maine is 90 tomorrow with a 20% chance of rain and 91 on Wednesday with the same chances for rain. Do I miss my air conditioned house? You bet! Especially inside camp where it is a cool 95 degrees. One reason for escaping Florida and coming to Maine is seeking a reprieve from the heat and humidity for awhile.

Headed out to a nicely air conditioned restaurant to do a little lounging in here in a while, as soon as friends arrive.

Tom Remington

Back last March, 2009, I told readers about efforts by a handful of people to petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect wolves and coyotes in the Northeast Region. The request essentially asked the USFWS to do three things: 1. Create a Distinct Population Segment for gray wolves in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, ; 2. Design and implement a Northeastern Gray Wolf Recovery Plan, and; 3. Regulate the commerce or taking, and treat as endangered species in the States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, coyotes (Canis latrans), coyote/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lupus), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis lycaon x Canis lupus), coyote/eastern wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon), and coyote/eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon x Canis lupus) because of their close resemblance to the federally endangered and protected gray wolf.

According to a 90-day finding on the request, the USFWS states that requesting a wolf management plan and to regulate the commerce of taking coyotes, wolves, etc. are not petitionable items under the Endangered Species Act. As the petition pertains to the creation of a Distinct Population Segment of gray wolves, the USFWS responded accordingly:

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in five northeastern States as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing a DPS of the gray wolf in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine may be warranted. Therefore, we will not initiate a further status review in response to this petition. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time, any new information that becomes available concerning the presence of the gray wolf in the northeastern United States, particularly information to substantiate the presence of breeding pairs.

The petitioners have an agenda and as we have been witness to for years, they are attempting to abuse and manipulate an outdated and poorly written Endangered Species Act to put a stop to all hunting and trapping disguised as protecting animals. While the USFWS for now says that no DPS will be created, they have left the door open and are asking people to notify them about findings of gray wolves, etc. Just being witness to this nonsense makes one seriously ask why they would at all be interested in helping in the discovery of gray wolves in their area. When we see the destruction of private property, including the slaughter of livestock and other domestic animals, along with a stripping away of property and property rights, caused as a result of protecting these critters, it’s ridiculous for anyone to consider inviting the federal government in to further control their lives and destroy the wildlife ecosystems we have now.

Think about it!

Tom Remington

It’s easy to enter. Visit http://www.huntnh.com to apply online or print a mail-in application, or pick up a lottery application from any license agent. The entry fee is $15 for New Hampshire residents and $25 for nonresidents (nonrefundable). Each applicant can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. You don’t need a current hunting license to enter.

A word to the wise: If possible, do apply online; it greatly reduces the chance of leaving information off or making a mistake. Late or incomplete applications are not accepted. Don’t wait until the last minute to apply; every year we hear from disappointed people who missed out on the lottery because they ran into problems with their computer or Internet connection.

Applications submitted by mail must be postmarked no later than midnight, May 28, 2010, to be eligible for the lottery. If submitting a paper application by mail on May 28, take it to the post office and try to have it postmarked while you are there; just dropping it in a mailbox does not ensure that it will be postmarked by the deadline.

Take advantage of the bonus point system to improve your chance of winning. Unsuccessful applicants build up a point each year they apply. Don’t miss a year, or you’ll lose your points!

New Hampshire continues to have some of the best odds in the nation for drawing a moose hunt permit. The overall odds of being selected in last year’s lottery were 1 in 22 for New Hampshire residents and 1 in 63 for nonresidents.

Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 18, 2010.

New Hampshire’s 2010 moose hunt runs from October 16 to 24. Find out more about moose hunting in New Hampshire, at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm.

prohibits the sale, purchase, possession, and transportation of all raw skins or unskinned carcasses of furbearing animals. The bill does make an allowance for the transportation or possession of raw pelts or unskinned carcasses, but only when the pelt will not be used as fur. If passed, the bill would effectively eliminate trapping in New Hampshire. Likewise, the bill would equally limit sportsmen who hunt furbearing animals like coyote, fox and raccoon.

Tom Remington

Gary Marbut, president of Montana Shooting Sports Association and instrumental author of the Montana Firearms Freedom Act, says that Itse’s version, somewhat of a clone of Montana’s, calls for criminal penalties against anyone attempting to enforce federal gun laws against the manufacturers of New Hampshire-made guns, etc.

Tom Remington

Based on these 2009 preliminary registration figures by county (which indicate where deer were registered, not necessarily killed), results were mixed, according to Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

“Some areas experienced reduced deer movements this fall as a result of abundant acorn production and, until the very end of the regular firearm season, most of the state was snow-free,” said Gustafson. “These factors combined with the residual effects of recently severe winters, especially 2007-08, have reduced recent harvests from the near record kill in 2007. In spite of this, New Hampshire’s harvest again exceeded 10,000, which has only happened 15 times in the past 50 years.”

New Hampshire has an estimated population of about 85,000 deer, with the 2009 kill representing about 12% of that total. The deer hunting season closed in the state on December 15, the final day of archery deer season.

The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire’s 2009 season by county, with comparisons to the previous 8 years, is posted at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/deer_hunt_take_by_County.htm.
Readers are reminded that 2009 estimates are based on the number of deer reported as being registered in each county (not necessarily killed in that county).

The unofficial harvest tally for New Hampshire’s 2009 bear season was 755 bears, the second highest bear harvest in the state’s history. Most of the increase over the 439 bear tally of 2008, took place in the northernmost three management regions, which saw poor beechnut production and highly variable oak crops. Harvest in the southernmost three management regions was very similar to previous years.

“When fall food is scarce, bears become more vulnerable to hunting as they forage over greater distances and become easier to pattern at local food sources,” said Fish and Game Bear Project Leader Andy Timmins. “This year we had an abundant apple crop and a spotty nut crop, so bears were more predictably in orchards. An increased number of bears were also taken in cornfields last fall as compared to previous years.”

Overall, the 2009 bear season tally was 50% above the preceding 5-year average (504 bears) and 72% higher than the 2008 tally (439). Hunters took 413 males and 342 females, yielding a harvest sex ratio of 1.2 males per female. A preliminary breakdown of 2009 bear season results by region and method may be found at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/bear_hunt_take.htm.

Final official numbers from the 2009 hunting seasons will be available in the 2009 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, which will be published in March 2010 and posted on the Fish and Game website at http://www.huntnh.com.

New Hampshire’s successful 2009 hunting seasons are a reminder that hunting activities made possible by science-based wildlife management, contribute significantly to New Hampshire’s economy. The most recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey indicates that approximately 61,000 people hunted in New Hampshire, generating more than $75 million in hunting-related expenditures annually in the state.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlilfe and marine resources and their habitats. Find more information and online license sales at http://www.huntnh.com.

The state’s popular muzzleloader deer season gets underway on Saturday, October 31 (except in WMU A, where it begins on November 2), and runs through November 10.

“For many New Englanders, the firearms deer season is a traditional opportunity to get together with family and friends, enjoy our bountiful resources and put meat in the freezer before winter,” said Kent Gustafson, the deer biologist for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

New Hampshire’s deer herd came through last winter in good shape, according to Gustafson. The state’s archery deer kill through October 18, 2009, totaled 1,561, somewhat below last year’s total at that point in the season, but higher than similar totals experienced from 2001 to 2005, according to preliminary reports. For a comparison by county (where deer were registered), visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/deer_hunt_take_October.htm.

Deer hunters can find Wildlife Management Unit and season-specific either-sex day regulations in the 2009-2010 New Hampshire Hunting and Trapping Digest, available online at http://www.huntnh.com and from Fish and Game license agents. In WMU A, an antler point restriction and changes in season length are again in place as part of an effort to improve the age structure of the northern deer herd.

Hunting licenses can be purchased online at http://www.HuntNH.com or from license agents statewide. Licenses are also sold at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord. The basic N.H. hunting license costs $22 for residents and $103 for nonresidents. Hunters under age 16 do not need a license, but must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult at least 18 years of age.

Special permits remain available for taking one additional antlerless deer in Wildlife Management Unit M during the archery, muzzleloader or firearms season by any legal method. Permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $13 each (a limit of one per licensed hunter). They can be purchased online, at Fish and Game headquarters, or by mail. Visit http://www.wildnh.com/Hunting/Special_Unit_M_permits.htm.

Successful hunters can help the less fortunate by sharing their harvest with the “Hunt for the Hungry” program at the New Hampshire Food Bank. For more information on donating game meat, call (603) 669-9725 or visit http://www.nhfoodbank.org.

Find more on deer hunting in New Hampshire at http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_deer.htm.

“Hunters have reported seeing a lot of big bulls this year,” said New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Moose Project Leader Kristine Rines. “People have observed quite a few groups of bachelor bulls together, suggesting that the rut, or breeding season, is pretty much over.”

Rines explained that moose begin to change their habits around this time of year, so people aren’t necessarily seeing the animals where they were scouted out earlier in the year. Both bulls and cows start feeding heavily in order to gain weight for the winter. Also, moose already have their heavy winter coats, so on warm days they tend to bed down in the shade or move uphill to cooler high elevations.

The largest bull taken so far this year was registered at the Berlin, N.H., check station. It weighed 940 pounds dressed weight (the approximate live weight would have been an impressive 1,372 pounds) and was taken in WMU B by Joe Hill of Brandon, Mississippi. The largest cow taken so far (also checked in at Berlin) had a dressed weight of 700 pounds (about 1,022 pounds live weight) and was taken in WMU B by Michael Baglivo Sr. of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Want to know more? Listen in as Fish and Game’s moose biologist Kristine Rines talks about the state’s moose population and the latest goings-on at moose registration stations in New Hampshire on Fish and Game’s October podcast at http://blog.wildnh.com. (You’ll also hear furbearer biologist Patrick Tate talk about New Hampshire’s wildcats — bobcat and lynx.)

This year, more than 14,500 people entered the 2009 moose hunt lottery, held last spring, for a chance to win one of the 515 permits drawn for the New Hampshire moose hunt.

For more about moose hunting in New Hampshire, including a list of check stations, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm.

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.