N.H. Hunting Report - December 23, 2005

Hope you enjoyed success this fall. This month, wildlife biologist Eric Orff gives a sneak peek at the early numbers for the 2005 hunting seasons. Final figures will appear in the 2005 Wildlife Harvest Summary next spring. We'll let you know when it's out in the next issue of the N.H. Hunting Report, which should come your way in March 2006.

Meanwhile, 2006 hunting licenses are now for sale. Click here for online license sales, or visit your local license agent. Get set for another year of outdoor challenge, and remember your license fees are the primary source of funding for wildlife management in the Granite State. Thank you!

As always, your best source for hunting season dates and details is the 2005-2006 N.H. Hunting Digest (to download, click here and on the orange publication cover) or from Fish and Game offices and license agents statewide.

Don't forget, applications for the 2006 New Hampshire moose hunt will be available on the Fish and Game website starting in late January. It costs just $10 to enter the lottery, so try your luck and take a chance on the adventure of a lifetime. (Click here for more on the N.H. moose hunt, including photo galleries.)

IN THIS ISSUE:

• New Hampshire's Big Game Season Wrap-up for 2005
  
• Small Game Notes
  
• Got Ducks?

Another year and more records broken! This year started right off with a new record turkey kill. Fish and Game turkey biologist Ted Walski reports, "We had another record turkey season this spring with 3,042 birds registered. This was an increase of 12 percent, or 336 turkeys, from the 2,706 taken in 2004." Ted also reports that bow hunters have registered 244 this fall, down from the 352 registered last fall. Ted says the widespread availability of fall foods, particularly acorns, kept the turkeys spread out and more difficult to kill.

While this fall's bear kill in New Hampshire was not a record, (it wasn't expected to be), a new record was set for the weight of a bear taken. Carroll Brunelle of Bethlehem took a 532-pound male in Bethlehem on September 3, shattering the old record of 494 pounds. Preliminary figures show this year's total bear kill to be 433.

Deer biologist Kent Gustafson has offered some preliminary, unofficial deer numbers, as well. The last call-in report by the state's Conservation Officers on December 16 showed a preliminary total tally of 10,582 deer. This number is 5 percent above last year's figure of 10,033. Firmer estimates and additional details will be available in a few weeks after all the reports are turned in.

Moose numbers were right up there too, though no records were broken. Success rate at 77.6 percent was the highest it has been since 1995. The heavy rains of the opening few days dampened the moose kill early on, but the hunters rallied mid-season to bring home the bacon...er, moose. A total of 408 moose were killed in the 9-day season. -- Eric Orff, wildlife biologist

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Small Game Notes

Small game biologist Julie Robinson says that her first annual "Ruffed Grouse Wing Survey" was completed, with the cooperation of the Ruffed Grouse Society, resulting in 67 samples from the Great North Woods. Thanks go out to all those grouse hunters who participated in the survey, which was a cooperative effort of NH Fish and Game and The Ruffed Grouse Society.

Waterfowl biologist Ed Robinson recently summarized this fall's waterfowl season at a recent Fish and Game Wildlife Division staff meeting. He noted that population levels of ducks and geese were high, but so were water levels this fall. It was a tough fall for duck hunters, with lots of fog on opening day; then everything was flooded, scattering the ducks and geese for much of the season. -- Eric Orff, wildlife biologist

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Got Ducks?

Each January, Fish and Game regional biologists fan out across the state and count the number of overwintering ducks and geese for waterfowl biologist Ed Robinson. In January of 2005, 4,479 mallards, 505 black ducks and 854 Canada geese were tallied. This survey began in 1988 to complete the inland half of a coastal waterfowl survey done by aircraft annually since 1952.

Mallard numbers have varied from 1,800 in 1988 to 7,107 in 2000, with a yearly average of 4,531. Black duck numbers have varied from 201 in 1990 to 809 in 2000, with an average of 443. Goose numbers have ranged widely as well, from 114 in 1994 to 1,367 in 2002, with a yearly average of 595. Over the years, biologist have "discovered" new places that ducks and geese like to call home for the winter. Many of these are in urban settings at office parks or condos. When the winters get tough, the waterfowl move further south...or move to town! The severity of the winter greatly influences how many ducks and geese stay close to home. Cold winters with lots of ice and snow tend to push resident waterfowl further south. Each winter, a few common mergansers, goldeneyes and red breasted mergansers are counted, with rarer sightings of wood ducks and teal.

Biologists are always looking for these winter holdouts. Do you know where there are some ducks or geese spending the winter in New Hampshire? Send an email to: wilddiv@wildlife.nh.gov with a description of your spot (town, road, river or address) along with number of ducks and geese, your name and phone number. Biologists would love to count your birds too. -- Eric Orff, wildlife biologist

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The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.

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