Message from the Director: Sportsmanship Counts

It’s my pleasure to welcome my fellow hunters to the fields and forests of New Hampshire. Like you, I get excited thinking about getting back into the field. Last year I had the thrill of a lifetime watching my son get his first deer on Youth Weekend. We had a great time together tracking down that nice buck — a 6-pointer. As you can imagine, that experience has both of us pretty jazzed to go again. So we’ll be out there this fall, scouting our favorite woods. And even if we don’t bring home a deer, we’ll remember these days for a long time: packing the truck, walking and waiting, watching and listening, trading stories. I hope someday he will experience the other side of a similar event with his son, an event you can carry with you the rest of your life.

I know you share my enthusiasm. New Hampshire hunters know about and appreciate our amazing variety of wildlife, habitats and hunting areas—from ducks and geese on coastal marshes to deer and grouse in remote northern forests. What we need to remember is this: it’s the sportsman or woman in the field who can make the difference in keeping some truly great lands open to hunting.

In the Granite State, private land—the majority of forest land in the state—has historically been open to hunting unless posted by the owner. Fish and Game is working together with hunters and landowners to ensure that we can carry this tradition forward.

It all depends on us as “guests” being respectful of the land and the landowner. We like to say: Treat the landowner as you would like to be treated, and treat their land as you would like yours to be treated. Be safe, be sure of your target, clean up after yourself, display sportsmanship—sounds like common sense, but that’s the key to leaving a good impression and getting invited back.

Thanks for hunting NH. Before you head out, please review this booklet and make note of the new rules. The Fish and Game website at www.huntnh.com has more great hunting resources. I’ll see you in the field!

Glenn Normandeau

Executive Director

NH Fish and Game Department

NH Fish and game — our Mission

As the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to:

• Conserve, manage and protect these resources and their habitats;
• Inform and educate the public about these resources; and
• Provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate these resources.

The NH Fish and Game Department receives Federal Assistance from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and thus prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and sex, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or service, please contact or write the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration, 4001 N. Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop: WSFR – 4020, Arlington, Virginia 22203, Attention: Civil Rights Coordinator for Public Programs.