New Hampshire Youth Deer Hunt Set for Oct. 22-23
OutdoorHub 10.07.11
Concord, N.H. — New Hampshire’s youth deer weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 22-23, 2011, is the perfect time to take a youngster hunting. This special weekend gives young people age 15 and younger the opportunity to go deer hunting with an adult mentor, without the pressure of competing with thousands of adult hunters.
Accompanying adults must be licensed hunters and are not allowed to carry a firearm; the idea is to concentrate your time and attention on coaching your young companion.
Prospects for this year’s youth season are good, according to Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. New Hampshire’s deer population is healthy and will provide excellent opportunities and memorable experiences. In 2010, young hunters took 392 deer during the youth weekend, up 8% from the previous year.
“The weekend is a chance to introduce young people to deer hunting, under the careful guidance of an experienced adult,” said Gustafson. “You can build bonds for a lifetime while tracking a whitetail through the autumn woods or deciphering the sounds of the forest from a tree stand. We hope hunters will spend the weekend with their sons and daughters, grandchildren or young friends, helping them learn what hunting is all about.”
Gustafson notes that hunting can also help youngsters learn about the environment, conservation, tradition and ethics, and it can build a deep and abiding appreciation for the wildlife and wild places that many of our citizens and visitors cherish.
New Hampshire has offered a special youth deer hunt since 1999. Nonresident youth may participate in New Hampshire’s youth deer weekend only if their state of residence allows New Hampshire youth to participate in its youth deer hunt.
For more about New Hampshire’s youth deer hunting weekend, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Youth_deer_wknd.htm.
For more information on deer hunting in New Hampshire, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_deer.htm.
