WMU I2, New Hampshire
Unit info
- Game species
- Deer, Turkey, Bear
- Group
- Zone I
- Area
- 397 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
Season & harvest data is published for no species so far. Deer, Turkey, Bear also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedWMU I2 covers a rugged, heavily forested corridor in west-central New Hampshire spanning parts of Sullivan, Merrimack, and Cheshire counties, bounded by I-89, Route 9, Route 123, and Route 10 through towns including Grantham, Hopkinton, Stoddard, and Marlow. The unit offers quality deer and bear hunting in mixed hardwood-conifer forest with relatively low suburban pressure compared to coastal and southern units, plus a healthy wild turkey population and an active bear season running through November. Hunters willing to work state-owned parcels and unposted private forest land will find rewarding access with limited competition.
Rugged, hilly mixed hardwood and conifer forest typical of the NH Lakes Region transition zone; elevation ranges from ~600 to ~1,800 ft; dominated by second-growth maple, beech, birch, and hemlock with numerous ridges, drainages, beaver ponds, and wetland edges that concentrate wildlife; towns of Grantham, Hopkinton, Stoddard, and Marlow sit within or adjacent to the unit
low-to-moderate
Standard resident/non-resident deer license covers one antlered deer statewide; Special Archery Deer Permit available (one per hunter, purchased with archery license) allows an additional antlered deer via bow or crossbow; crossbows are legal during archery season in WMU I2; no dedicated antlerless-only permit program for I2 (Units L and M are the primary antlerless permit units); antlerless opportunity depends on statewide bonus permit draws announced annually by NHFG
DEER: Archery season Sept 15 - Dec 15; regular firearms season typically runs ~2.5 weeks in November; muzzleloader season follows regular season; crossbow legal during archery in I2; one antlered deer per license plus optional Special Archery Permit for second antlered deer. BEAR: General season Sept 1 - Nov 11; dog season Sept 22 - Nov 11; bait permitted; resident permit $16, non-resident $48; bear population established throughout I2. TURKEY: Spring season (typically late April - mid May) is primary season; fall shotgun turkey season in WMU I2 closed as of fall 2025; fall archery turkey Sept 15 - Dec 15 remains open; resident permit $16, non-resident $31. MOOSE: WMU I2 is not a primary moose lottery unit; moose permits are concentrated in northern WMUs (A, B, C) and I2 is not among the units typically allocated moose lottery permits.
Solid black bear density with a long general bear season (Sept 1 - Nov 11) including bait and dog hunting; healthy deer population in low-pressure mixed forest; spring turkey is the primary turkey season after fall shotgun season for turkey in WMU I2 was closed starting fall 2025; public land patchwork combined with open-by-default private land gives hunters genuine range; minimal crowding relative to southern NH units
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about WMU I2— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about WMU I2.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: NHFG official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 23d ago.