The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says the 2009 deer hunt outlook calls for a 5 to 10 percent increase over the nearly 11,000 deer killed statewide last year.
Last year, Rockingham County led all counties with 1,990 deer taken, trailed by Grafton County’s 1,780 and Hillsborough County’s 1,564.
Kent Gustafson of the department says the conditions favored good fawn production and survival, which bodes well for hunting season. He said big, 200-pound-plus deer were still being taken throughout New Hampshire last year.
The biggest deer on record was taken in Coos County in 1985, weighing 289 pounds, field dressed. The biggest deer in 2008 was killed in Grafton County, weighing 250 pounds.
Note: Information for this report came from The Eagle Tribune.