New Hampshire Whitetail |
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| SMALL GAME SEASON' S / OUTLOOK |
Small Game Volunteers Needed:
New Hampshire is blessed with abundant open land and a strong hunting tradition, making it an excellent destination for small game hunters. New Hampshire’s newly established small game project provides new insight into small game species abundance and distribution, while our habitat program focuses on the creation and retention of essential early successional habitats. If you’re a small game hunter and you’d like to join in our small game management efforts, please volunteer to participate in our annual small game hunter survey. If you’re interested, or would like more information, contact us at 603-271-2461, or wilddiv@wildlife.state.nh.us. We need your help!
Ruffed Grouse:
Grouse are New Hampshire’s premier small game species. Spring 2000 grouse drumming surveys revealed strong breeding populations, particularly in our northern and White Mountains regions. Brood production however, appeared to suffer from untimely cool spring rains. Statewide fall hunter observation rates were down 25 percent, and served to confirm observations regarding brood losses. We believe we had good winter survival and expect good brood production this spring. A late hatch may help buffer broods from cool rains.
Woodcock:
Singing ground surveys conducted in Spring 2000, revealed a general decline in numbers in our White Mountains and Central regions, as compared to 1999. At the same time, northern populations held steady averaging an impressive 7 singing males per survey route. Fall hunter observations reflected 3.5 birds per hour in our Northern and White Mountains regions. Late winter storms during 2001, may have negatively impacted returning breeding stock. Overall, our statewide woodcock singing ground counts are high and relatively stable as compared to much of the Eastern U.S. Protection and creation of woodcock habitat is key to their future in New Hampshire.
Snowshoe Hares:
Hunters observed approximately 50 hares per 100 hunter-hours during the 2000/2001 hare season. This is comparable to the 1999/2000 observation rate. Anecdotal observations suggest hare numbers are on the upswing. Focus your hunting efforts in 2- to 8-year-old clear-cuts for the fastest action.
Gray Squirrels: A good fall acorn crop likely bodes well for squirrel production in 2001. Field observations suggest gray squirrel numbers are up. Gray squirrel hunting is an ideal way to introduce a youngster to wild New Hampshire. Southern New Hampshire offers your best opportunity for success. Note that several northern wildlife management units are closed to squirrel hunting.
Cottontail Rabbits:
Cottontail rabbit range is fragmented and highly restricted in New Hampshire. New Hampshire cottontails consist of two species, the more common Eastern cottontail, and the less common New England cottontail. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned to list the New England cottontail as a threatened or endangered species. Decisions (and consequences) regarding possible listing are pending.
Conclusions:
Making predictions about small game is risky business. Small game populations can literally change with the weather. What we do know with absolute certainty is that New Hampshire is a great place to small game hunt, and that even a bad day pursuing small game is better than a good day at work!
