Record Number of Bucks Killed in New Hampshire This Year

CONCORD, NH - According to new stats released by New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, the state's hunters killed 7,708 antlered bucks in 2017 — more than in any year since 1922, when the state first started keeping records. The New Hampshire Dept. of Fish and Game reported the total kill during deer season was 12,309.

This was an increase of 15% from 10,675 in 2016, according to the report.

Last year, the report said, archers took 3,102 deer, the youth weekend accounted for 270, while muzzleloaders and regular firearms hunters took 2,662 and 6,275 deer

The Harvest Summary includes data from the N.H. Trophy Deer Program, run by the N.H. Antler and Skull Trophy Club, which annually recognizes hunters who take deer with a weight of 200 pounds or more by each of three hunting methods (archery, muzzleloader, and regular firearms). The heaviest deer for 2017 (253 pounds) was taken by Patrick Couch of Rochester using a regular firearm.

The 2017 bear harvest total was 587, down from the record harvest of 898 in 2016, according to the report.

The spring 2017 turkey harvest was 4,482, up from 3,882. That number has hovered around 4000 for the past 10 years.

The summary is available online here. A limited number of print copies are available at the NH Fish and Game Department in Concord and regional offices in Durham, New Hampton, Lancaster and Keene.

Fish and Game said wildlife research and management activities in New Hampshire, including production of the annual NH Wildlife Harvest Summary, are funded through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, a user-pay, user-benefit program supported by the purchase of firearms, ammunition and archery equipment.Learn more about hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh.com/hunting.