CONTACT:
Kent Gustafson: (603) 271-2461
Steve Weber: (603) 271-2461
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
December 26, 2007
2007 New Hampshire Deer Harvest Highest in 40 Years
CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire's estimated 2007 hunter harvest of 13,416 deer was the highest in recent years and, when verified and finalized, will likely result in the highest "official" harvest in forty years (since 1967, when 14,204 deer were taken). The preliminary 2007 results represent a 14% increase over last year's (2006) final tally of 11,766 deer. The deer hunting season closed in the state on December 15, the final day of archery deer season.
"It is noteworthy that the 2007 harvest was the highest deer harvest in four decades," said Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. "The increase for 2007 is the fourth year in row that the kill has gone up, reflecting recent mild winters that have been easier for deer to survive, and widespread late-season snow this year, which made it easier for hunters to find and see deer."
New Hampshire has an estimated population of about 90,000 deer. The 2007 fall harvest of about 15% of the herd is in line with objectives outlined in the state's 10-year Big Game Management Plan, according to Gustafson.
The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire's 2007 season by county, with comparisons to the previous 8 years, is listed below. Please note that the numbers for 2007 are estimates based on the number of deer reported as being registered in each county (not necessarily killed in that county) and do not represent complete, verified data.
Deer Kill by County, 1999-2006, and Estimated Deer Registrations by County at Close of Season for 2007
| COUNTY | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007* |
| Belknap | 507 | 536 | 433 | 566 | 411 | 554 | 555 | 681 | 807 |
| Carroll | 681 | 645 | 509 | 608 | 492 | 570 | 498 | 575 | 677 |
| Cheshire | 908 | 899 | 821 | 984 | 802 | 927 | 1,040 | 1,133 | 1,390 |
| Coos | 1,376 | 1,392 | 890 | 1,111 | 1,068 | 1,008 | 1,221 | 1,127 | 1,219 |
| Grafton | 1,661 | 1,633 | 1,126 | 1,440 | 1,332 | 1,357 | 1,431 | 1,819 | 2,148 |
| Hillsborough | 1,143 | 1,214 | 1,147 | 1,439 | 1,144 | 1,241 | 1,310 | 1,447 | 2,184 |
| Merrimack | 1,255 | 1,180 | 1,038 | 1,237 | 1,055 | 1,147 | 1,162 | 1,362 | 1,457 |
| Rockingham | 1,775 | 2,020 | 2,000 | 2,212 | 1,914 | 1,933 | 1,928 | 1,922 | 1,894 |
| Strafford | 753 | 723 | 685 | 811 | 677 | 753 | 725 | 884 | 826 |
| Sullivan | 644 | 617 | 494 | 681 | 597 | 643 | 725 | 816 | 814 |
| TOTAL | 10,703 | 10,859 | 9,143 | 11,089 | 9,492 | 10,133 | 10,595 | 11,766 | 13,416 |
* The 2007 figures represent preliminary estimated deer kill at close of the deer season.
Final official numbers from the 2007 hunting seasons, including detailed analysis of the sex, age and distribution on a Wildlife Management Unit basis, will be available in the 2007 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, which will be published in late March or early April of 2008 and posted on this website.
The successful 2007 deer hunting season is a reminder that hunting activities are a signficant contributor to New Hampshire's economy -- according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, more than 60,000 people hunted in New Hampshire in 2006, generating more than $80 million of hunting-related expenditures in the state.
For more information on deer hunting in New Hampshire, click here.
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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