New Hampshire’s Muzzleloader Deer Season Opens Saturday
By Gary Moore
New Hampshire’s woodlands come alive during the upcoming muzzleloader deer season which runs from November 1 to November 11. Many will head to the woods with their single shot muzzleloaders as the season is very popular among deer hunters.
Becky Fuda, Deer Project Leader at the NH Fish and Game, said, “New Hampshire’s 11–day muzzleloader season is favored by hunters because of its early timing, milder weather, and the high level of buck activity that happens leading up to the peak of the deer breeding period in mid to late November. Many hunters also view the muzzleloader season as a way to scout the woods and get in shape for the approaching firearms season.”
In New Hampshire, muzzleloader hunters are given 11 days prior to the opening day of the regular firearms season to hunt deer. Hunters must obtain a regular hunting license and a muzzleloader license.
Hunters are reminded that online deer registration will be unavailable on the first two days of muzzleloader season, November 1 and 2, and the first three days of firearms season, November 12, 13, and 14. Hunters must check in their deer in person on these dates. For a full list and map of deer registration stations in the Granite State, visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/check-stations-registration.
This Is Bat Week
I never heard of Bat Week until last week when I received a press release from Vermont Fish and Wildlife. I am fond of bats and wish there were more around our property as they are voracious eaters of insects including the mosquitoes and black flies we all despise.
Evenings when we sit by the fire at our little pond we used to see bats swooping across the water snatching insects. Unfortunately, it has been several years since we have seen any despite the erection of a bat house on a pole high above the edge of the pond.
The onset of fall sends Vermont’s bats into motion, which makes it an important time for conservation-minded Vermonters to learn about, and help conserve, the state’s nine native bat species.
If you have noticed bats roosting in your attic or barn over the summer, fall is the perfect time to safely evict these uninvited guests as they do not have vulnerable young at this time.
You can learn how to safely evict bats from your building at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s best management practices page.
You can also help bat conservation efforts by reporting large colonies of bats living in structures to the department’s website. Locations with rare colonies of endangered little brown bats are eligible for free bat houses from Vermont Fish and Wildlife. Through this successful program, 135 free bat houses have been placed since 2014, with over half already occupied by over 1500 endangered bats.
Bat houses provide an alternative location for safely evicted bats to remain in your yard and continue eating huge quantities of insects that may be forest, agricultural or human pests.
“Fall also means Halloween, and scary images of bats, but this presents an opportunity to bring positive attention to bats as well,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Small Mammals Biologist Alyssa Bennett. “We celebrate ‘Bat Week’ in the days leading up to Halloween.” Bat Week takes place October 24-31 and aims to raise awareness about the vital ecological functions of bats and to dispel the many myths and misinformation about them.
Anyone interested in learning more can visit the official Bat Week website at www.BatWeek.org, or email Alyssa.Bennett@vermont.gov for more information about what they can do right here in Vermont to promote bat conservation.
Connecticut River Paddlers Trail Campsites Rely On Volunteers
I have often written about the campsites that are so popular among those who enjoy the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail. They are available to those canoeing our great river thanks to the generosity of private and public landowners and the efforts of volunteers who maintain them.
Bradford resident Ted Unkles maintains three sites, Howard Island North and South behind the Grafton County Complex and Vaughn Meadows in South Newbury.
Like most of the caretakers, he opens the sites in the spring, visits at least monthly in June and July to cut the fast growing vegetation to keep the tent sites and paths open. That rapid growth of vegetation slows down by mid summer so August and September take less work.
It is this time of year that the sites need to be closed down in preparation for winter and spring flooding. I joined Ted in that effort last week.
We first moved the picnic tables and secured them to trees so they would not be washed away by flooding. Next any trash was picked up and the fire pits cleaned. The only unpleasant job was the moving of the privies. That required digging of new holes and the filling in of the old holes after the privies were relocated.
My disappointment was the amount of trash left at the Howard Island South site which consisted of beer cans, food tins and aluminum foil in the fire pit and a ruined lawn chair left at the Vaughn meadows site.
If the campers can carry the items in, they can carry them out to ensure that the campsites will continue to be available.