Island deer are now open season

LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE — Hunting is one of the most traditional human activities in the region, yet there are two new wrinkles to the custom for this season. For the first time in recent history, hunters will no longer be required to take a deer they’ve harvested to a registration station to be weighed and tagged. Instead, they will have the option of registering their kill online, even via their smartphone. The second change, which affects thousands of acres of land, is the opening of all islands to deer hunting.

The two changes are part of rule alterations that occurred within the past 12 months, and were already in effect when the bowhunting season for deer opened earlier this month.

Andrew Timmins, game programs supervisor for NH Fish and Game, said the online registration option was something the department was mandated to change by the state Legislature, and that the change to allow hunting on islands was in response to growing populations.

“It will be interesting to see how many people pursue deer on the islands, because there will be some challenges,” such as accessing the islands, Timmins said, explaining the thinking behind the rule change. “Our rationale is a couple of things. We recognize that some of these islands that are larger in size are starting to accumulate a large number of deer. In our reasoning, there’s no reason for those deer to not have some harvest mortality to keep the population in check.”

Timmins said there was already some special permitting to allow hunting on Long Island and Governor’s Island, which have had signs of overbrowsing by deer. “The thought process, as deer populations are doing pretty well in much of the state, it’s likely that more and more of these islands in the future are going to require some hunting. … [It] made sense to make this rule change to cover all these islands.”

Some island residents have already reported seeing hunters on the islands, as bowhunting season started on Sept. 15. Muzzleloader season will begin Oct. 28 for much of the state, and firearm season will open on Nov. 8 for the majority of the state’s Wildlife Management Units.

Timmins said the department held three well-attended public sessions on the proposed rule changes — in Concord, Keene and Lancaster — and no significant opposition was voiced.

“It appeared that the New Hampshire public was supportive of this rule change,” Timmins said.

Deer populations, when unmanaged, can create nuisances for humans living nearby, as they can cause erosion, will eat crops, gardens or decorative plantings, and can create road hazards. They can also alter the living landscape.

“If you go to Long Island, it’s very distinct, the impact that deer can have on the forest,” Timmins said. Deer like to eat new growth, consuming the tender tips of branches and saplings that grow within their reach. “There’s a distinct browseline,” he said. This prevents new trees from growing to replace mature trees that fall from storms or disease. However, deer only tend to eat the trees they’ve evolved around, Timmins said.

“What you see is an influx of less palatable species, which are largely invasive,” Timmins said. “It can really impact the distribution of the forest.”

Unclear reception

In Meredith — home to Bear Island, with 780 acres of land — there hasn’t been any discernible buzz about islands opening up to hunting, according to Dale Sandy, owner of The Tackle Shack. Although he said that might be due to Fish and Game’s other rule change, which removes the need for hunters to visit a registration station after they’ve taken a deer.

“They’re checking them in online now, so we’re not getting the scoop at all. It’s terrible,” Sandy said. In past years, hunters have brought their harvested deer to registration stations to have them tagged, and in the process, the clerks get to hear all about when, where and how the hunt took place. The Tackle Shack still offers that service, but most hunters are choosing the more convenient path, Sandy said. “We’ve only checked in three deer now.”

On 522-acre Cow Island in Tuftonboro, one resident isn’t too pleased with the news. Muriel Robinette, an environmental consultant who has been on the island for 30 years, said she doesn’t see the need for hunting on islands.

“I was shocked that it was changed,” Robinette said. “The deer are agile swimmers and will swim from island to island as they need to.” There were times, 20 years ago or so, when she would see six or eight deer in a herd together on the island, she said. Lately the groups have been only one or two. “My experience on Cow Island, the few deer I see are all good size, they seem healthy, and they certainly swim all over. To me, it doesn’t seem at all necessary to have a hunt.”

Robinette was particularly apprehensive about rifle season, which will open in November, due to the distance that pointed bullets can travel.

“A high-powered rifle, anywhere you point your rifle, you’re going to have a camp at the end of it,” Robinette said. “If Fish and Game thought there was a problem, too many deer on the islands of Winnipesaukee, maybe open it for bow hunting for a few years to see if that changes the herds sufficiently. I certainly do not condone opening it up for anybody in the public, going into an island and shooting a high-powered rifle on an island.”