Free Talks in October Explore Deer Hunting in New Hampshire

Two free outdoor adventure talks coming up at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department explore the challenging and exciting world of hunting for white-tailed deer, New Hampshire’s most popular game species. The talks begin at 7 p.m. at New Hampshire Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH. No pre-registration is needed; seating is first-come, first-served. These events will be live-streamed on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/nhfishandgame.

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Fishing Report September 24 2016 Massachusetts

Fall time is one of the prime times for fishing, spring is as well, for being able to catch numbers of fish, but more importantly, bigger fish. This time of year the fish, especially crappies, start schooling together and finding the schools that have the better sizes is key.
As the waters cool, their tendencies are to school up and start roaming the basins of the lake. Reading your electronics is key to finding these schools and once you do, following them keeps you in the action.

Water temperatures are key as well since if they are still in the low 70’s, these schools are still fairly small and scattered. Once the waters get into the 60’s to 50’s, this is when the schools increase in size and are somewhat easier to find.

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Hunters Reminded of Rules on Importing Deer, Elk

Hunters traveling outside Vermont to hunt deer or elk need to keep in mind that a regulation designed to protect Vermont's wild deer from chronic wasting disease remains in effect, according to a reminder from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

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Vermont Big Game Reporting Stations

Vermont hunters who take deer, bear or turkeys must bring them to a reporting station within 48 hours.

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Brake for Moose: It Could Save Your Life!

Wildlife officials from N.H. Fish and Game Department remind motorists to take extra care while traveling Granite State roadways at this time of year, because moose are on the move looking for mates. 

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Volunteers Needed for Stream Restoration Workday at Falls Brook

Thanks to a team of conservation partners, an undersized culvert at Hale Hill Road in Swanzey has just been replaced with a new, flood-resilient and wildlife-friendly open-bottom arch crossing. This exciting stream restoration project will re-connect more than 20 miles of stream habitat for wild brook trout, dace and other aquatic wildlife. The final step is to re-vegetate the shoreline of Falls Brook nearest the construction site with native, locally grown, edible plants.

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2016 Tree Stand Safety Tips for Hunters

Tree stands get hunters out of sight and smell of wary deer, but they can also get hunters into trouble. Here are some tips from Vermont Fish & Wildlife to help stay safe and get the most out of your tree stand hunting experience

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DEEP Reports Hydrilla Found In Connecticut River

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), a very highly invasive aquatic plant, has been found in the main stem Connecticut River in Glastonbury.

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Some Rule Changes for NH Pheasant Season

New Hampshire's hunting season for pheasant gets underway on October 1 and continues through December 31. This fall 11,936 adult ring-necked pheasants will be stocked in all 10 counties, with an average of 140 pheasants per site.

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Fishing Report September 18 2016 Massachusetts

Overcast/light rain
Water Temp: 71.5 degrees
Presentation: Northland Fishing Tackle Eye Dropper Spoon w/Bro Slug Bug

There is definitely a hint of fall in the... air but it doesn’t stay around long enough for cooling the lakes water temperatures. We are still looking at water in the low 70’s and these 80 degree days are not helping this cause, as the fish are still in a scattered mode.

Wanted to start cashing in on the fall crappie bite fishing as they tend to group up into bigger schools and are easier to find on the electronics and also are in a feeding frenzy. The fish that I did find were still in very small groups, which meant only catching a fish or two and then move on to finding the next school.

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Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock Seasons Start October 1

The hunting season for ruffed grouse – New Hampshire’s most sought-after upland game bird – starts October 1 and runs through December 31. Karen Bordeau, Fish and Game’s Small Game Project Leader, notes that better than 60% of small game hunting effort in New Hampshire is directed towards ruffed grouse, and that over half of that effort takes place in the North Country.  Hunting for woodcock, another popular upland game bird runs from October 1 through November 14.

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IFW To Create More Habitat For New England Cottontails, Other Species In Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hold an informational meeting and site visit to discuss creating more habitat for the New England cottontail rabbit, a State Endangered species, as well as other species in the Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

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Connecticut DEEP’s Hunting and Fishing Day

Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area and Education Center –
September 24

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is continuing its celebration of the 150th anniversary of its Bureau of Natural Resources by hosting Connecticut Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, September 24, at the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area and Education Center in Burlington. This FREE event will run from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and feature many outdoor-related activities and demonstrations

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N.H. Youth Waterfowl Hunt Weekend - September 24-25, 2016

New Hampshire's Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend will be held statewide on Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25, 2016. To participate, youth must be age 15 or younger and must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult age 18 or older. The adult may not hunt. The youth does not need a hunting license or duck stamp.

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Free Talks Explore Duck and Goose Hunting

Two free outdoor adventure talks coming up at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department offer an introduction to waterfowl hunting. If you’ve ever thought about trying to hunt ducks and geese in New Hampshire, these talks are for you.  They begin at 7 p.m. at New Hampshire Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH. No pre-registration is needed; seating is first-come, first-served.

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Vermont Youth Waterfowl Hunting, Sept. 24, 25

A youngster’s first hunt can mark the beginning of a lifelong passion for the outdoors and a commitment to wildlife conservation. There is no finer time to begin this journey than during Vermont’s upcoming youth waterfowl hunting weekend on September 24 and 25.

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Be Alert, Avoid Moose on the Highway

Drivers need to be alert and cautious because moose will be on the move, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

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NH High School Bass Fishing Tournaments Set For Sept. 22 and Oct. 1

Students from around New Hampshire will soon be competing for top honors in a high school bass fishing tournament. A qualifying tournament with 41 registered schools will take place on Thursday, September 22, out of Lee’s Mills on Lake Winnipesaukee. The top third of the schools from the qualifying round will move onto the state finals tournament on Saturday, October 1, on Lake Winnisquam.

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NH Bear Season Off to an Average Start; Hunters Asked to Refrain from Shooting Collared Bears

The New Hampshire bear hunting season, which started September 1, is off to an average start in terms of harvest rate. The statewide harvest to date is estimated at 300 bears, but numbers are preliminary at this early point in the season. Despite low food abundance this summer, many critical fall bear foods have recently become available due to modest or above-average production.

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DEEP Announces Extension of Closure of Portion of the Housatonic River at the Mouth of Furnace Brook to Fishing

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that it is extending a closure of a portion of the Housatonic River – at its confluence with Furnace Brook (Cornwall Bridge) – for two additional weeks due to continued low flows and warm water temperatures.

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NH Fishing Report - September 13, 2016

Let’s hope the heat of summer is far behind us now.  Fish like lake trout and crappies will be setting up in their “fall mode,” so try deep water jigging for them.  As air and water temperatures cool, trout action should pick up a little, provided some much-needed rain arrives.  It is “terrestrial time” for the avid fly angler so give those hopper, beetle, and ant imitations a try.  Watch for the fall migration of stripers on the coast. This will be our last report of the year, but there's still lots of great fishing ahead. Have a great fall and winter angling season!

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Walter Cabell Shooting Range Opens to the Public Three Weekends in October

The Walter Cabell Shooting Range in Woodbury, Vermont will be open for limited public use this October during the three weekends leading up to the November deer season.

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Fall Archery Deer and Turkey Seasons Open September 15

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reminds sportsmen that the 2016 fall archery hunting season for deer and wild turkey is open from September 15 to December 31, 2016, on private land and bowhunting only areas on state land in Deer Management Zones 1-10; and from September 15, 2016 – January 31, 2017 on private land in Deer Management Zones 11 (Fairfield County area) and 12 (Connecticut shoreline towns). The archery season for deer and turkey on state land is open from September 15 to November 15 and December 21-31, 2016.

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Schedule for Wild Game Cooking Workshops Hosted by Maine’s Community Colleges

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has partnered with Maine’s community colleges to offer a number of wild game cooking workshops over the next several months. Each workshop will offer the opportunity to participants to learn how to prepare wild game meat and sample the completed recipes. The workshops will be lead by professionally trained chefs and Department staff will be available to help answer questions.

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New Hampshire Fall Hunting and Fishing Expo -- Sept. 18, 2016, at Bass Pro Shops in Hooksett

Get set for the fall hunting and fishing seasons at a big New Hampshire Sporting Expo at Bass Pro Shops in Hooksett, N.H., on Sunday, September 18, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Admission is free.

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F&W Asks Hunters to Avoid Shooting Collared Bears

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking southern Vermont bear hunters to avoid shooting bears with yellow ear tags and radio collars during this fall’s hunting season. The bears are collared as part of an ongoing study on the effects of a proposed wind energy development within Green Mountain National Forest in the towns of Searsburg and Readsboro.

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Vermont Grouse, Woodcock Seasons Start Soon

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department issued a reminder that upland game bird hunting seasons are coming up soon and that learning to identify suitable habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock is the most important key to hunting success.

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Vermont’s Archery Deer Season Starts Oct. 1

Hunters are enthusiastic about Vermont’s upcoming October 1-28 and December 3-11 archery deer hunting season, which has several new regulation changes according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

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Looking For Areas To Hunt? Check Out The Sebasticook Woodlands WMA and the Carlton Stream WMA

As a regional wildlife biologist one of the most common questions that we address this time of year is “I am not a landowner so where is there a place for me to hunt”?  As posting of land has become more prevalent the sense that some sportsmen get is that there is no longer any good place left to hunt.  Oh contraire! The MDIFW wildlife management area properties located throughout the state provide superior hunting opportunities and are open for all to enjoy. While the state has 60 WMA’s that encompass tens of thousands of acres, the article will focus on our two latest acquisitions in central Maine.

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Learn about Managing New Hampshire's Furbearers

Modern trapping techniques are used for wildlife management, species re-introductions, biological sampling and property protection. Learn about this critical tool for managing furbearer populations at the first Outdoor Adventure talk of the fall, Managing New Hampshire’s Furbearers. The talk begins at 7 p.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. Admission is free, and no pre-registration is needed.

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Enjoy Dead Creek Wildlife Day on Sat., Oct. 1

If you enjoy wildlife be sure to make plans to attend the 15th annual Dead Creek Wildlife Day in Addison, Vermont on Saturday, October 1.

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September Offers a Number of Family Field Days in Maine

Check out some of the upcoming family field days scheduled for September! Also, don’t forget the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend is September 16-18, with tons of family friendly outdoor opportunities taking place around the state!

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Hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to put on a bright orange article of clothing when they head afield this fall. Wearing a fluorescent orange hat, vest or jacket makes you highly visible, one of several key safety precautions for hunters, hikers and others enjoying the autumn woods. Several hunting seasons are already underway in New Hampshire (see www.huntnh.com/hunting/hunt-dates.html).

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F&W is Hosting an Advanced Bowhunting Clinic

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is hosting an Advanced Bowhunting Clinic on the latest bowhunting equipment, hunting tactics and treestand safety on Saturday, September 24 at the Chelsea Fish & Game Club in Chelsea.

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VT Fish & Wildlife Seeks Bear Teeth from Hunters

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding successful bear hunters to make every effort to submit a bear tooth so wildlife managers can collect critical information on Vermont’s bear population.

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2015 NH Wildlife Harvest Summary Available

As hunters gear up for the fall season in New Hampshire, a rich source of information available to them is the 2015 New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Summary, which presents final data summarized by wildlife biologists from the 2015 New Hampshire hunting seasons. This annual publication provides a complete breakdown of hunting season statistics, including some information by town and Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).

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DEEP Lifts Fish Consumption Advisory on Stretch of Quinnipiac River in Southington

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today lifted the fish consumption advisory for a stretch of the Quinnipiac River in Southington, saying laboratory test results show no evidence of contamination from a chemical spill last week in the waters or banks of the river.

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