STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT WILDLIFE DIVISION

20 December 2023
Deer Season Update

The unofficial deer kill for New Hampshire’s 2023 season is listed below with comparisons to final kill totals for the previous 9 years. Since registration forms from physical registration stations are still being entered, deer registered at physical registration stations are listed in the county total estimates where they were registered (not necessarily killed). Online deer registration details are available immediately, so deer registered online are included in the county total where they were killed. The 2023 numbers are estimates and do not represent complete data from all stations. Data for the previous years are final kill figures for each county and hence the estimated registration distribution for 2023 is not directly comparable to the previous years’ final kill totals.  

For the first time, deer hunters had the option of registering their deer online on most days of the season (except during biological data collection on the first two days of muzzleloader and the first three days of firearms season).  On days when online registration was available, 51% of hunters chose to register their deer online, while 49% registered in person.

The estimated 2023 statewide harvest of 13,038 is a decrease of 7% from the 2022 final kill of 14,082 but is 5% higher than the 10-year average of 12,391.  Based on this estimate, the 2023 total represents the fourth-highest kill in the last 10 years and the sixth-highest kill in the state’s history, going back to 1922. All registration forms should be received within the next week and verified against forms issued and returned. Data entry, verification, and analysis should be complete by early spring when the Wildlife Harvest Summary will be available. Thanks to all who helped make these deer season updates possible and Happy Holidays.