This is New Hampshire's published 2026-27 season, the whole state at once. A pin reads its wildlife management unit off the map and cuts this to the seasons, arms and limits that apply there.
New Hampshire deer seasons
2026-27
2 antlered deer per licence year. New Hampshire counts deer by the tag rather than by a season limit. An archery licence carries one deer of either sex; a regular hunting or combination licence carries one deer for the firearms season; a muzzleloader licence lets that firearms tag be used in the muzzleloader season instead and carries no tag of its own. A Special Archery Deer Permit — one per hunter, bought only alongside the archery licence — adds one antlered deer taken by bow. Special Unit L and Unit M permits add antlerless deer in those units, one tag for L and two for M, usable on any day of any season the hunter is licensed for, including antlered-only days. So the most antlered deer a licensed hunter can take is two: one on a firearms or archery tag, one on the Special Archery Deer Permit. Digest, printed p. 18.
Archery
Bow and arrow; crossbow in twelve southern units onlyPrinted in 2 columns — check which covers your wildlife management unit.Three months, either sex every day, and the longest deer season New Hampshire has.
WMU A
Sep 15 – Dec 8Either sexOne deer on the archery licence, either sex; one more antlered on the Special Archery Deer Permit.
WMUs B through M
Sep 15 – Dec 15Either sexOne deer on the archery licence, either sex; one more antlered on the Special Archery Deer Permit.
- "Archery — Any deer — Sept. 15-Dec. 8 — WMU A. Any deer — Sept. 15-Dec. 15 — B thru M." Digest, printed p. 18.
- "Any deer may be taken on the regular archery deer license during the archery season." No unit restriction on sex in this season at all — the any-deer-day machinery belongs to the firearm seasons.
- A crossbow may be used during the regular archery season only in WMUs D2W, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L and M. Digest, printed pp. 18 and 20.
- Archers and crossbow hunters must have their name and address on their arrows or bolts. Fixed blade broadheads must be at least 7/8 inch and no more than 1½ inches wide; retractable blades must reach 7/8 inch open. Minimum draw weight for deer is 40 pounds.
- A bowhunter may carry a sidearm but may not use it to help take a deer.
- A Special Archery Deer Permit — $26, one per hunter, bought only at the same time as the archery licence — adds one antlered deer by bow. It may be used to tag the first or second deer taken by archery if it is legally antlered.
- Hunter orange is recommended in New Hampshire, not required.
Youth Deer Hunt
Any legal deer weaponOne weekend in late October, statewide, either sex.
Statewide
Oct 24–25Either sexAgainst the tags the young hunter holds.
- "Youth Hunt — Any deer — Oct. 24-25 — Statewide." Digest, printed p. 18.
- Any deer, in every unit, on both days — the only firearm-season days on which that is true outside L and M.
- A non-resident youth and a resident landowner both need to buy the muzzleloader licence to take part in the muzzleloader season; the youth weekend itself is on the ordinary licence.
Muzzleloader
Muzzleloader, crossbow, or bow and arrowPrinted in 8 columns — check which covers your wildlife management unit.Eleven days before the firearms season, opening the same day everywhere and turning bucks-only unit by unit.
WMUs A, B, C1, C2 and D1 — no any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs D2E and E — one any-deer day
Oct 31Either sexNov 1–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs F, G2 and I2 — two any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 1Either sexNov 2–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMU I1 — three any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 2Either sexNov 3–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs H1, H2, J1, J2 and K — four any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 3Either sexNov 4–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMU D2W — five any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 4Either sexNov 5–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMU G1 — six any-deer days
Oct 31 – Nov 5Either sexNov 6–10Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs L and M — any deer throughout
Oct 31 – Nov 10Either sexOne deer on the firearms tag, plus antlerless deer on a Special Unit L or M permit.
- Every unit opens on 31 October and closes on 10 November. What the unit decides is how many days at the front are "any deer". Digest, printed p. 18.
- The muzzleloader licence lets the holder of a regular hunting or combination licence take a deer with a muzzleloader, crossbow or bow using the firearms deer tag. It issues no tag of its own. A non-resident youth and a resident landowner must buy it to hunt this season.
- Online registration is unavailable during the first two days of the muzzleloader season — a deer taken then must be registered in person at a registration station. Digest, printed p. 20.
- It is unlawful to hunt deer with a rimfire firearm.
Firearms
Any legal firearm other than a rimfire; slugs or 00-or-larger buckshot in a shotgunPrinted in 8 columns — check which covers your wildlife management unit.Opens 11 November everywhere, through the peak of the rut, and closes 6 December — a week earlier in WMU A.
WMU A — one any-deer day, and closes early
Nov 11Either sexNov 12–29Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs B, C1, C2 and D1 — one any-deer day
Nov 11Either sexNov 12 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs D2E, E, F, G2 and I2 — two any-deer days
Nov 11–12Either sexNov 13 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMU I1 — three any-deer days
Nov 11–13Either sexNov 14 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs J1 and K — four any-deer days
Nov 11–14Either sexNov 15 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs H1, H2 and J2 — five any-deer days
Nov 11–15Either sexNov 16 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs D2W and G1 — six any-deer days
Nov 11–16Either sexNov 17 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag.
WMUs L and M — twelve any-deer days
Nov 11–22Either sexNov 23 – Dec 6Antlered onlyOne deer on the firearms tag, plus antlerless deer on a Special Unit L or M permit.
- Every unit opens on 11 November. What the unit decides is how many days at the front are "any deer" — one in the north, twelve in L and M. Digest, printed p. 18.
- "WMU A: Both the archery and firearms deer seasons close one week earlier than the rest of the state." Digest, printed p. 20.
- It is unlawful to hunt deer with a rimfire firearm. No shotgun ammunition other than slugs or 00-or-larger buckshot may be used — and buckshot is prohibited for deer in Auburn, Chester, Greenland, Newington, Portsmouth and Stratham.
- Online registration is unavailable during the first three days of the firearms season; a deer taken then must be registered in person.
- Hunter orange is recommended in New Hampshire, not required. Sunday hunting is legal.
New This Season
What changed since last year, and is therefore easiest to get wrong.
- Special Unit L antlerless-only deer permits are no longer issued by lottery. "Beginning in 2026, they will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis online and at NHFG Headquarters near the end of July." Digest, "NEW for 2026-27", printed p. 4.
- The only other item in the Digest's own list of what is new this season is a request that turkey hunters report leg-banded birds, which does not touch deer.
Legal Arms
2026/27 New Hampshire Hunting & Trapping Digest weapon specifications, as the digest prints them.
Archery
Digest, printed p. 20
- Bow and arrow, minimum draw weight 40 pounds for deer
- Fixed blade broadheads at least 7/8 inch and no more than 1½ inches wide
- Retractable blade broadheads reaching 7/8 inch when open
- Crossbow — only in WMUs D2W, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L and M
- A crossbow in the archery season in WMUs A, B, C1, C2, D1, D2E, E and F
- Using a carried sidearm to help take a deer
- Arrows or bolts without the hunter's name and address on them
Muzzleloader
Digest, printed pp. 18 and 20
- Muzzleloader
- Crossbow
- Bow and arrow
- Any rimfire firearm, for deer
Firearms
Digest, printed p. 20
- Any legal centrefire firearm
- Shotgun with slugs or 00-or-larger buckshot
- Muzzleloader
- Bow or crossbow
- Any rimfire firearm, for deer
- Shotgun ammunition other than slugs or 00-or-larger buckshot
- Buckshot in Auburn, Chester, Greenland, Newington, Portsmouth and Stratham
Hunting Hours and Orange
What the state defines as legal light, and what has to be worn in it.
Legal Shooting Hours
Digest, printed p. 20
"Hunting Hours: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset." One line, no exceptions for deer. Note that spring turkey closes at noon, which is a different rule for a different animal.
Fluorescent Orange
Digest, printed p. 13
New Hampshire's rule is a recommendation, printed as one: "Any person hunting with a firearm or bow and arrow during New Hampshire hunting seasons, except for a person legally hunting waterfowl, should wear a hat, vest or other suitable article of clothing of material in the color of hunter orange visible from all sides at a minimum distance of 200 feet." Should, not shall. The safety pages recommend it again for deer, bear and small game hunters, and for turkey hunters entering and leaving an area.
Sundays
Digest, printed p. 4
Sunday hunting is legal in New Hampshire, and the department advertises it: "We've got big bucks, gobblers galore, Sunday hunting, and special youth hunts." There is no midday closure and no weapon restriction on Sundays.
Standing Rules
The parts of the digest that are true every day of the season.
How the tags work
Digest, printed p. 18
- Every hunter except those eligible for the special deer tag must carry a valid deer tag that has not been detached from their licence or permit.
- Archery licence: one deer of either sex, by bow — or crossbow in WMUs D2W, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L and M.
- Regular hunting or combination licence: one deer during the firearms season, subject to the unit's any-deer days.
- Muzzleloader licence: lets that firearms tag be used with a muzzleloader, crossbow or bow in the muzzleloader season. It carries no tag of its own.
- Special Archery Deer Permit: one additional antlered deer by bow, one permit per hunter, bought only with the archery licence.
- Special Unit L and M permits: antlerless deer in those units, on any day of any season the hunter is licensed for, including antlered-only days.
- It is not required to register a harvested deer before taking another.
Definitions
Digest, printed p. 18
- Antlered deer: a deer with at least one antler three inches long.
- Any deer: all deer regardless of sex or age.
Prohibited arms and ammunition
Digest, printed p. 20
- It is unlawful to hunt deer with a rimfire firearm.
- No shotgun ammunition other than slugs or 00-or-larger buckshot may be used to take deer.
- Buckshot is prohibited for taking deer in Auburn, Chester, Greenland, Newington, Portsmouth and Stratham.
- It is unlawful to have a crossbow cocked while transporting it in a vehicle.
Baiting
Digest, printed pp. 10 and 18
The deer baiting season runs 21 October to 18 November in WMUs A through L, and 15 September to 15 December in WMU M. Further restrictions apply; the full rules are in the Fis 300 section of the NH Code of Administrative Rules.
Tagging and Reporting
The clock that starts the moment the deer is down.
Digest, printed p. 20
Every deer must be reported within 24 hours.
- Register the deer online or at the closest open registration station within 24 hours
- The deer must be accompanied and registered by the person who took it
- Online registration is unavailable during the first two days of the muzzleloader season and the first three days of the firearms season — those deer must be registered in person at a station
- Write the confirmation number on, or keep it with, your hunting licence
- A deer may be quartered in the field but the head and hide must be packed out; a conservation officer may ask to see them within 48 hours of the kill
Where This App Is Coarser Than the Digest
Said plainly, because an absence is easy to read as a permission.
- The any-deer days are the whole of New Hampshire's deer management, and they are unit by unit. Every unit's muzzleloader season opens 31 October and every unit's firearms season opens 11 November; what the unit decides is how many days at the front a doe is legal. If the app shows antlered-only on a day you expected either sex, check the unit rather than the date.
- A crossbow is legal in the archery season in only twelve of the twenty units. In WMUs A, B, C1, C2, D1, D2E, E and F it is a vertical bow or nothing — flagged critical on the pin.
- WMU A closes both its archery and its firearms season a week before the rest of the state.
- Special Unit L and M permits work on antlered-only days, which no other New Hampshire tag does. The app shows the unit's ordinary any-deer days; if you hold one of those permits, your antlerless season is longer than the calendar here says.
- New Hampshire recommends hunter orange rather than requiring it. If the app shows no orange rule for New Hampshire, that is not an omission.
- Long Island and Governor's Island in Lake Winnipesaukee need their own deer permits and carry many special restrictions. None of that is drawn on the map here.
- New Hampshire's peak breeding date is an estimate inside NHFG's own window: the department puts the peak of the rut at about the third week of November and publishes no single date. The rut meter uses 18 November.
- New Hampshire publishes no open statewide parcel service, so there are no property lines on the map here.
Useful Numbers
The agency, when the app cannot answer it.
- NH Fish and Game
- 603-271-3421
- Wildlife Division
- 603-271-2461
- Lifetime licences
- 603-271-3422
- Licences and registration
- huntnh.com
Transcribed from the published 2026-27 New Hampshire digest. Where this app and the digest disagree, the digest is the law. Read the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department digest.