04-21-2005, 04:47 PM
[size 2]FINAL HUNT TALLIES; 2004 WILDLIFE HARVEST SUMMARY AVAILABLE ONLINE
CONCORD, N.H. -- Wildlife biologists from N.H. Fish and Game have finished crunching the numbers for the 2004 hunting seasons. The deer take was up, as expected, from 2003; moose hunters had another successful year; black bear hunters achieved the second highest statewide harvest last fall; and turkey hunters had a slight increase in harvest in the May 2004 season.
This information and much more is available in the 2004 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, now available for download from the Fish and Game website at [/size][url "http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm"][#0000ff][size 2]http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm[/size][/#0000ff][/url][size 2]. Print copies are available at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord, or call (603) 271-3211 to request a copy. The report provides a complete breakdown of hunting season statistics for deer, bear, moose and turkey, plus trapping statistics for furbearers.
2004 New Hampshire hunting season highlights include:
* The 2004 statewide deer kill of 10,133 increased 7% from the 2003 season. (Hunters took 9,492 deer in 2003.) While the statewide harvest was up, some units exhibited lower than expected adult buck kills.
* The 2004 youth deer hunt weekend take was 312, down 7% from 334 in 2003.
* The archery and regular firearm deer kills were up from 2003, while the muzzleloader take decreased slightly.
* Moose hunters' statewide success rate of 74% was similar to the 2003 rate of 75%. During the nine-day season, 388 moose were taken -- 280 antlered bulls, 96 cows and 12 calves. The number of moose permits issued increased from 482 in 2003 to 522 in 2004.
* During New Hampshire's 2004 black bear season, hunters achieved the second highest statewide harvest of 679 bears. This was a 15% decrease from the record harvest of 802 bears in 2003, but a 30% increase over the preceding five-year average of 523 bears.
* A total of 2,706 turkeys were registered during the 2004 spring gobbler season, up about 4% from 2,599 the previous year. The first-ever youth turkey hunting weekend tallied 321 gobblers, or 12% of the total spring harvest.
* New Hampshire furbearers remain abundant and widespread, as indicated by results from the 2003 trapping season (October 2003-April 2004). Pelt values averaged higher than they have in nearly a decade; the value of the 2003 fur harvest to trappers was $133,002, based on average pelt values and the total fur harvested in New Hampshire in 2003. The number of licensed trappers was up to 432.
Nearly 80,000 people hunt in New Hampshire each year. Hunting is a cornerstone of the Granite State's economy, annually bringing in $71 million in revenue and providing more than 1,400 jobs.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit [/size][url "http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/"][#0000ff][size 2]http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us[/size][/#0000ff][/url][size 2].[/size]
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CONCORD, N.H. -- Wildlife biologists from N.H. Fish and Game have finished crunching the numbers for the 2004 hunting seasons. The deer take was up, as expected, from 2003; moose hunters had another successful year; black bear hunters achieved the second highest statewide harvest last fall; and turkey hunters had a slight increase in harvest in the May 2004 season.
This information and much more is available in the 2004 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, now available for download from the Fish and Game website at [/size][url "http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm"][#0000ff][size 2]http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm[/size][/#0000ff][/url][size 2]. Print copies are available at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord, or call (603) 271-3211 to request a copy. The report provides a complete breakdown of hunting season statistics for deer, bear, moose and turkey, plus trapping statistics for furbearers.
2004 New Hampshire hunting season highlights include:
* The 2004 statewide deer kill of 10,133 increased 7% from the 2003 season. (Hunters took 9,492 deer in 2003.) While the statewide harvest was up, some units exhibited lower than expected adult buck kills.
* The 2004 youth deer hunt weekend take was 312, down 7% from 334 in 2003.
* The archery and regular firearm deer kills were up from 2003, while the muzzleloader take decreased slightly.
* Moose hunters' statewide success rate of 74% was similar to the 2003 rate of 75%. During the nine-day season, 388 moose were taken -- 280 antlered bulls, 96 cows and 12 calves. The number of moose permits issued increased from 482 in 2003 to 522 in 2004.
* During New Hampshire's 2004 black bear season, hunters achieved the second highest statewide harvest of 679 bears. This was a 15% decrease from the record harvest of 802 bears in 2003, but a 30% increase over the preceding five-year average of 523 bears.
* A total of 2,706 turkeys were registered during the 2004 spring gobbler season, up about 4% from 2,599 the previous year. The first-ever youth turkey hunting weekend tallied 321 gobblers, or 12% of the total spring harvest.
* New Hampshire furbearers remain abundant and widespread, as indicated by results from the 2003 trapping season (October 2003-April 2004). Pelt values averaged higher than they have in nearly a decade; the value of the 2003 fur harvest to trappers was $133,002, based on average pelt values and the total fur harvested in New Hampshire in 2003. The number of licensed trappers was up to 432.
Nearly 80,000 people hunt in New Hampshire each year. Hunting is a cornerstone of the Granite State's economy, annually bringing in $71 million in revenue and providing more than 1,400 jobs.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit [/size][url "http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/"][#0000ff][size 2]http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us[/size][/#0000ff][/url][size 2].[/size]
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