Autumn hunting is about to start up in New Hampshire with the opening of black bear, gray squirrel and Canada goose season on Labor Day, followed by the more popular archery seasons for turkey and white-tailed deer two weeks later.
Although hunting is much less common than it used to be — the number of licensed hunters in the state has fallen by about half since its peak in the late 1980s — the pastime is still a big part of life here.
New Hampshire has sold almost 73,000 hunting licenses in the past year, according to the Department of Fish and Game, and a 2024 study by the Sportsmen’s Alliance estimated that hunting is responsible for about 2,000 jobs and contributes $182 million annually to the state’s economy. Hunting licenses make up a major portion of the income for state Fish and Game.
Hunting has been on the decline throughout the country for many years due to urbanization and competition from other pastimes. The publication Deer Hunting Guide says 7.7% of America’s population had a hunting license in 1960 but just 4.6% had one in 2020.
The decline seems to have ended in New Hampshire with license sales stabilizing around 71,000 annually, and may even be rebounding slightly: The most recent data on sales is about 1,000 higher than in the previous two years.
The overall decline nationally has been partly offset by growth in archery hunting and hunting with muzzle-loading firearms. Those seasons generally start earlier and run longer than seasons for traditional rifles and shotguns. For example, firearm season for white-tail deer, by far the most popular hunting season in the Northeast, doesn’t start until Nov. 12, which is two-and-a-half months after archery season starts.
The start of hunting often raises concern among other outdoor enthusiasts about safety, but no bystander has been killed by a hunter in the state in recent memory and injuries are extremely rare. Nonetheless, it makes sense to wear blaze-orange or other highly visible garments when going into the woods.
Most years see one or two hunting-related injuries in New Hampshire, but they typically involve the hunters themselves or other members of the hunting party.
All New Hampshire’s various hunting seasons can be seen on the Department of Fish and Game’s website at www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/dates-and-seasons.
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.