The start of school signals the end of summer for many people, but another signal is arriving, as well – the start of hunting.
New Hampshire’s various hunting seasons kick off Sept. 1 with the opening of seasons on black bears and gray squirrel and the Canada goose hunt for residents. It really gets underway Sept. 15 when archery seasons begin for turkey and white-tailed deer.
Other major seasons include shotgun season for turkey in mid-October, moose from Oct. 20 to 28, and snowshoe hare, which starts Oct. 1 and continues all winter long.
By far, the most popular hunting season is firearms season for deer, which starts Nov. 14 and runs through Dec. 9 in all but the northern tip of New Hampshire.
Most hunting seasons are open for different periods in different parts of the state, depending on how the population of the species is doing.
While hunting is not as popular as it was in decades past, the state still sells around 60,000 permits annually to both in-state and out-of-state residents.
Getting a hunting license requires passing a hunter education class, although people 16 and older who want to try hunting can get an apprentice license, which lets you go hunting under the guidance of a licensed hunter. In 2017, there were 346 individuals who took advantage of the apprentice license program in New Hampshire, hunting for a variety of game species.
For more information or to get hunting licenses and permits, check online at www.nhfishandgame.com.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
