WMU H2N, New Hampshire

Mixed hardwood-conifer forest with rolling hills, river bottomlands along the Cold River and Connecticut River corridor, wetland complexes, and agricultural fields providing edge habitat. Elevation ranges from valley floors around 400 ft to upland ridges near 1,800 ft in the Stoddard/Hillsborough area. Forest cover is predominantly maple-beech-birch with hemlock in drainages.

moderate

One antlered deer statewide with a valid hunting license. Antlerless deer require a Special Antlerless Deer Permit specific to WMU H2N — issued by NHFG based on herd management objectives. Permit availability varies year to year; hunters should check NHFG Deer Hunting page for the current application window and allocation numbers. Archery hunters may use crossbows in WMU H2 during archery season.

DEER: Archery Sept 15–Dec 15; Muzzleloader late Oct–early Nov; Firearms mid-Nov through early Dec. One antlered deer statewide; antlerless by Special Permit for H2N. BEAR: Season opens Sept 1 statewide; archery, firearms, and muzzleloader bear hunting permitted in WMU H2N. One bear per year; bear tag required ($16 resident/$48 non-resident). Baiting permitted with registration. TURKEY: Fall shotgun season for WMU H2 typically mid-October (~1 week); fall archery turkey runs concurrent with deer archery season Sept 15–Dec 15. Spring season late April through late May, two bearded birds. MOOSE: WMU H2N is in central-southern NH and does not receive moose lottery permits — moose tags are allocated to northern WMUs (A, B, C, D, E). Incidental moose sightings are possible but no hunting opportunity exists in H2N.

Good deer densities in agricultural edge and hardwood zones; accessible bear populations with archery and firearms opportunities from September; solid fall and spring turkey in southern portions of the unit. Unit sits at the transition between more rural west-NH and the more suburban corridor — private land access via knock-and-ask is viable given active farming communities.