Where do I buy a New Hampshire hunting license?

New Hampshire hunting licenses and tags are sold by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is New Hampshire hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the New Hampshire season dates change every year. Our New Hampshire deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current New Hampshire Fish and Game Department regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in New Hampshire?

Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out New Hampshire for moose, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in New Hampshire?

Good starting points include White Mountain National Forest, Pisgah State Park, Ossipee Lake Wildlife Management Area. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

New Hampshire Hunting Guide

What to hunt in New Hampshire, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official New Hampshire Fish and Game Department links.

Big-woods bucks, White Mountain terrain, and a three-month archery season make New Hampshire a solid Northeast option.

New Hampshire splits into a thickly wooded North Country and White Mountains, and a more suburban, farm-and-forest south. Northern hunters deal with steep terrain, big blocks of industrial timberland, and low deer densities but a real shot at a mature, wide-racked buck that has never seen pressure.

Agency: New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
Region: Northeast
Deer rank: #41 of 50
Species guides: 4

New Hampshire hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Resident hunting license	approx. $32 (2025-26)
Nonresident hunting license	approx. $103–$113 (2025-26)
Antlerless deer permit (lottery, when available)	approx. $11 application fee

New Hampshire hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	Hunter orange is required during muzzleloader and firearms seasons on most public land; not required during archery-only season.
Baiting	Baiting deer is illegal statewide.
Crossbows	Legal for all hunters during archery season, no permit needed.
Sunday hunting	Sunday hunting is allowed in New Hampshire (unlike several neighboring New England states).
Legal firearms	Rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders are legal; specific WMUs may restrict rifle calibers near dense population centers.
Tagging/reporting	All deer must be registered within 24 hours via the online system or at an official registration station.
CWD	No CWD detected in NH deer as of the latest surveillance; voluntary carcass-import restrictions apply from CWD-positive states.
Hunter education	Required for all first-time hunters regardless of age.

New Hampshire deer season structure (2025-26)

Exact opening and closing dates shift by a few days every year and differ by Wildlife Management Unit — always confirm the current NH Hunting Digest before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Archery	Bow / crossbow	Mid-September – mid-December (closes about a week earlier in WMU A)
Muzzleloader	Muzzleloading rifle	Late October – early November, statewide
Regular firearms	Rifle / shotgun (zone-dependent)	Mid-November – early December, dates vary by WMU
Youth/Special hunts	Varies	Dedicated youth weekend before archery closes

What you can hunt in New Hampshire

Deer — White-tailed deer
Fair · ranked #41 of 50 for deer.
Moose
Small but stable Shiras and eastern herds
Access: Once-in-a-lifetime bonus-point draws with very low odds
Ruffed Grouse
Classic New England grouse cover in mixed hardwood-conifer forest
Access: Over-the-counter; check specific WMU dates
Snowshoe Hare
Classic New England hare hunting in mixed conifer-hardwood forest
Access: Over-the-counter small-game license

Public hunting land in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has extensive state forest and Fish and Game-managed land, plus huge blocks of White Mountain National Forest in the north.

White Mountain National Forest
National forest · North Country
Nearly 800,000 acres of federal land with big-woods bucks and light hunting pressure away from trailheads.
Official page
Pisgah State Park
State park/forest · Southwest NH
New Hampshire's largest state park, over 13,000 acres of mixed hardwoods good for still-hunting.
Ossipee Lake Wildlife Management Area
WMA · Central-East NH
Diverse wetland and upland habitat holding solid deer numbers.
Fox State Forest
State forest · Southern NH
Research forest with public hunting access and varied terrain.
Connecticut Lakes State Forest
State forest · Far North Country
Remote, huge, and lightly hunted — a classic big-woods northern buck destination.

Official New Hampshire links

Last reviewed 2026-09.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a New Hampshire hunting license?: New Hampshire hunting licenses and tags are sold by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is New Hampshire hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the New Hampshire season dates change every year. Our New Hampshire deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current New Hampshire Fish and Game Department regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in New Hampshire?: Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out New Hampshire for moose, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in New Hampshire?: Good starting points include White Mountain National Forest, Pisgah State Park, Ossipee Lake Wildlife Management Area. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.