CONCORD — 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 percent increase over last year's (2006) final tally of 11,766 deer. The deer hunting season closed in the state on Dec. 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 a 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 percent of the herd is in line with objectives outlined in the state's 10-year Big Game Management Plan, according to Gustafson.
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 significant 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.
Source: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080308/NEWS22/745371342/-1/FOSSPORTS
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