2014 New Hampshire Fishing and Hunting Licenses Available

New Hampshire fishing and hunting licenses for 2014 are now available for purchase. Get yours early and be set for a WILD year of outdoor adventure, from ice fishing this winter to bagging your deer next fall. Licenses are good for the calendar year, from January 1 through December 31, 2014. Purchase online at wildnh.com, at the N.H. Fish and Game Department in Concord, or from any Fish and Game license agent statewide.

Your hunting or fishing license -- or, best of all, your “combo” license -- is your year-round ticket to New Hampshire’s great outdoors. For state residents, an annual freshwater fishing license is $35; the basic hunting license is $24.50; and a combination (hunting and freshwater fishing) license is $48.50. For nonresidents, annual freshwater fishing licenses are $53; hunting licenses, $105.50; and the combo license is $143.50. Residents can buy a one-day freshwater fishing license for $10. Nonresidents can opt for one-, three- or seven-day freshwater fishing licenses. Coastal anglers need an $11 N.H. Saltwater Recreational Fishing License (required for all persons age 16 and older recreationally fishing in coastal and estuarine waters of the state).

Beginning with the 2014 license year, regular hunting and fishing licenses will be computer-generated and printed by the agent on regular paper. For consumers buying from agents, the license-buying transaction will be faster and easier. In many cases, their information will already be in the system. A $2 transaction fee will be charged per license form. This fee will go to the vendor, Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3), to cover the cost of operation of the automated system, just as online license buyers currently pay a transaction fee. The new system will give the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department faster access to critical license sales data, and Fish and Game license agents will find their administrative reporting is streamlined.

"This should be a positive change for everyone, because it will allow Fish and Game to operate more efficiently and effectively, using technology that has been adopted nationwide with positive results," said Fish and Game Licensing Supervisor Susan Perry.  "A number of our N.H. license agents have been using the new system since August, and the transition went very well."

For more information, and Frequently Asked Questions about the upcoming move to electronic license sales, visit wildnh.com/POS.

Very little will change for those purchasing hunting and fishing licenses online, however online purchasers will pay a $3 transaction fee for 2014, instead of the $2 fee previously charged.

When you get your license, check out the new 2014 New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing and Saltwater Fishing digests, both hot off the press. The digests are available online at wildnh.com/pubs/fishing.html, or can be picked up at license agents or at the Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, in Concord. These handy publications summarize fishing rules and regulations, include photos for identifying fish and much more handy information for anglers.

For hunters and anglers concerned about maintaining access to pursue their sports, the $10 Wildlife Legacy donation (a check-off on the multiform license) provides an opportunity to support Fish and Game’s Landowner Relations Program, which works in partnership with hunters, anglers and landowners to maintain hunting and fishing access to private lands. Learn more at wildnh.com/landshare/Wildlife_Legacy_Initiative.htm.

Fishing and hunting license revenue directly supports wildlife and fisheries management, law enforcement and conservation education in New Hampshire. Visit wildnh.com.