NH Hunting Season Results - Preliminary Totals for Deer, Bear, Turkey

The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire’s 2015 hunting season was 10,912, down 4% from the 2014 final kill of 11,396. Based on this estimate, the 2015 total is very similar to the 20-year average of 10,896. Deer hunting seasons are now closed in the state.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Hunter Education Instructor Training Courses Being Offered

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is offering several New Instructor Training Courses for people interested in volunteering to teach Hunter Education, Trapper Education, or Bowhunter Education courses in Vermont.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Free Ice Fishing Talks at Fish and Game in January

Polish up your ice fishing skills by taking advantage of two free ice fishing seminars with New Hampshire fishing guide Tim Moore being offered in Concord this January at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Moore is the owner of Tim Moore Outdoors.  He has ice fished in New Hampshire for more than thirty years and has been featured on NH’s Wildside TV and New Hampshire Chronicle. Moore is an Ice Team Pro, as well as a member of Clam Outdoors, Vexilar, Maki Plastics and Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffs. The talks will begin at 7 p.m. at Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH. No pre-registration is necessary.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Maine 2016 Hunting and Fishing Licenses Now Available

A new year of hunting and fishing opportunity is just around the corner! The 2016 Maine hunting and fishing licenses are now available for purchase online or at any of the more than 800 licensing agents statewide.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/ME_News.html

Fishing Report December 13 2015 Massachusetts

Waiting for ice

As this mild winter continues on and many of us are still waiting for first ice, shoreline fishing is still happening and with a little searching of local waters this will keep you occupied until the ice finally arrives.

Fishing a local reservoir, I heard that there are large crappie in this water and wanted to see if we could catch them from the shoreline. The reservoirs here typically have an earthen dam setup at the outlet and there usually is a nice wall that offers you access to deep water to fish in.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Visit N.H. Fish and Game at Upcoming Outdoor Events

Outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to stop by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department booth at these classic New England winter events

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Habitat Management Leads to Landowner Hunting Success

When David Boocock of Montgomery enrolled in a program with the state to improve his land for wildlife, he was hoping the enhancements would boost his odds during the fall deer hunting season. But he never realized that the payoff would come so quickly, or be so impressive.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Snowshoe Hare Hunting Workshop - in Holderness, January 9

Learn about the exciting sport of snowshoe hare hunting at a free workshop being offered at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, N.H. The workshop will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 9, 2016. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Fishing Report December 6 2015 Massachusetts

Searching open water crappie with electronics

We have never had a year that we are still fishing from the boat on open water, especially getting to the mid of December. Water temperatures were still around 43 degrees and the lake is void of other boats, this is making it very difficult for winterizing the boat for this season.

Object for locating these schools of crappies, is to idle around the lake and keep your eyes glued to the graph on your console. These schools will show up as clouds, especially on a color screen and if you are running any type of down scan imager, you can actually see the fish in the schools.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Preliminary Moose Hunt Numbers Are Up For 2015

With the preliminary numbers in, it looks as though moose hunters were more successful in 2015 than in 2014, and Maine’s moose population looks healthy.

“We had a number of moose that weighed in excess of 1,000 pounds,” said Kantar. “The moose we examined looked very healthy, with good percentage of body fat stored for the winter.”

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/ME_News.html

Vermont’s Free Ice Fishing Day is January 30

Vermont’s third annual Free Ice Fishing Day is January 30, 2016. To celebrate, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is holding an Ice Fishing Festival at Lake Elmore State Park in central Vermont. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and families with kids are encouraged to attend.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

Fur, Feathers, and Ferns Program and Hike at Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) invites families, friends, scouting groups and other organizations to participate in a Fur, Feathers, and Ferns Hike Wednesday, December 30, 2015 beginning at 10:00 am and concluding at 1:00 pm. at the Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby.  Please bring a beverage and an eco-friendly lunch which is one that uses recyclable or reusable items for containers.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/CT_News.html

Authorities Seek Information In Identifying Moose Poacher

On December 6, 2015, Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department responded to an anonymous tip regarding a dead moose that had been found approximately three-quarters of a mile from the end Smokey Camp Brook Road in Errol, N.H.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Muskie Fishing Success Binds Three Generations of Vermonters

When Alex Beebe of Swanton recently reeled in the first muskie caught above Swanton Dam on the Missisquoi River in nearly four decades, he took his place in the fishing lore of Vermont. In 2013, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department began stocking muskellunge, or ‘muskie,’ along this upper stretch of river with the hopes of continuing to restore this native fish species. Alex’s catch is a sign that this conservation effort may be working.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html

NH Hunting Report

"Statewide, it has been another relatively successful season. Current numbers are only slightly below last year’s and we are on track to finish near the 15 year average total harvest (2000-2014) of between 10,000 to 11,000 animals. Average total harvests in the preceding 15 years (1985-1999) were between 8,000-9,000 animals. The most notable thing to me this year has been the excellent physical condition of the deer I inspected at biological check stations," said Bergeron.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NH_News.html

Fishing Report November 29 2015 Massachusetts

While many of the HSM Outdoors staff are either on the ice or will be shortly, the group of us on the East Coast are still fishing open water. Cool temps at night, but the day temps still getting into the 40’s and the water temperatures are still in the mid to low 40’s.

Couple of lakes that I have been targeting this late fall, the crappie are hanging in the same general area and those are deeper depressions in the lakes contours. Anywhere you come off of an underwater point or long flat, the schools of crappie are hanging right out in front in the deeper drop-offs.

The better sized school a month ago were positioned in a saddle and in only 9 feet of water but now that they have moved to the above locations, they are hanging in 16 feet of water and are positioned anywhere from the bottom up to 11 feet down.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/Fishing_Reports_2015.html

Vermont Muzzleloader and 2nd Archery Deer Seasons, Dec. 5-13

Vermont’s hunters will get one final chance for a deer this year during the muzzleloader deer season and the second part of the archery deer season. The two seasons run at the same time -- December 5-13. A muzzleloader hunter may take one legal buck anywhere in the state. In addition, a hunter who received a muzzleloader antlerless deer permit may take one antlerless deer in the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) designated on the permit.

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/VT_News.html