CONCORD, NH. – Small game hunting season for gray squirrel starts on September 1 and is a great way to introduce someone new to hunting. On October 1, ruffed grouse, woodcock, cottontail rabbit, pheasant, and snowshoe hare seasons each open, all of which are exciting species to pursue and make excellent table fare. Small game hunters will want to check out the 2023/2024 New Hampshire Small Game Summary Report, which presents data from the annual Small Game Hunter Survey. Participation in these surveys by hunters significantly enhances the Department’s management of these species. 

While the New Hampshire Small Game Summary Report includes a variety of species, the most data received and the primary focus is the Granite State’s two most sought-after small game birds: ruffed grouse and woodcock. The report provides long-term statistical trends for both species of birds, which comprised 90% of reported hunter effort during 2023. Other species of interest to small game hunters included in the report are snowshoe hare and gray squirrel. 

“Crisp fall air will be here soon, and hunting small game is a great way to kick off the season,” said New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Small Game Program Supervisor Brett Ferry. “Pursuing small game provides a unique opportunity to introduce youth and novice hunters to the sport. Because small game species are habitat dependent, new hunters must learn about the food and cover requirements of the species which adds to the experience. Hunters have the ability to assist in our understanding and management of small game populations by providing data related to observations, harvest, and effort. These surveys are easy to obtain and complete, and they provide the Department with necessary data to promote small game populations and opportunities to enjoy this resource.” 

If you hunt small game, please take part in this year’s surveys: 

Everyone who completes either of these two surveys will be entered into a raffle to win a firearm donated by Sturm Ruger and the Ruffed Grouse Society, respectively. 

“A big thank you to all the small game hunters who participated in our survey efforts,” said Ferry. 

Learn more about small game hunting in New Hampshire at www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/small-game-and-upland-bird-hunting. 

MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) — A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.

Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a $2 million fine.

The case is seen by many as an unsettling early example of how AI might be used to influence groups of voters and democracy as a whole.

Meanwhile Steve Kramer, a political consultant who orchestrated the calls, still faces a proposed $6 million FCC fine as well as state criminal charges.

The phone messages were sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on Jan. 21. They featured a voice similar to Biden’s falsely suggesting that voting in the state’s presidential primary would preclude them from casting ballots in the November general election.

Kramer, who paid a magician and self-described “digital nomad” to create the recording, told The Associated Press earlier this year that he wasn’t trying to influence the outcome of the primary, but he rather wanted to highlight the potential dangers of AI and spur lawmakers into action.

If found guilty, Kramer could face a prison sentence of up to seven years on a charge of voter suppression and a sentence of up to one year on a charge of impersonating a candidate.

The FCC said that as well as agreeing to the civil fine, Lingo Telecom had agreed to strict caller ID authentication rules and requirements and to more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.

“Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be,” FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.”

Lingo Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had earlier said it strongly disagreed with the FCC’s action, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.

Nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen commended the FCC on its action. Co-president Robert Weissman said Rosenworcel got it “exactly right” by saying consumers have a right to know when they are receiving authentic content and when they are receiving AI-generated deepfakes. Weissman said the case illustrates how such deepfakes pose “an existential threat to our democracy.”

FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said the combination of caller ID spoofing and generative AI voice-cloning technology posed a significant threat “whether at the hands of domestic operatives seeking political advantage or sophisticated foreign adversaries conducting malign influence or election interference activities.”

CHICAGO — In a second floor conference room in the Westin Hotel next to Lake Michigan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke Wednesday morning to about 80 New Hampshire Democrats, many of whom have a lot of experience vetting presidential candidates.

“The reason I especially wanted to be here this morning is because when the power is in the hands of New Hampshire, you all know how to pick a president and you all know how to get stuff done,” he told the state’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

He was introduced by the state party chair, Ray Buckley, who said Shapiro adopted his slogan about political productivity — “get stuff done” — from New Hampshire.

It was one of three breakfast speaking engagements on Wednesday for Shapiro, who has been making the rounds at the national party gathering. His trip to the convention comes after weeks in the national spotlight as a frontrunner to become Vice President Harris’ running mate. Shapiro lauded Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was selected over him, and said he’d be working hard to help them win Pennsylvania. He also talked to Nevada and New Jersey delegations on Wednesday.

Shapiro, who is known to have national political ambitions, will speak on the convention’s main stage Wednesday night. On Tuesday night, he spoke briefly from the convention floor to cast the Pennsylvania delegation’s votes to nominate Harris.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also spoke at the New Hampshire breakfast Wednesday. As finance chair of the Democratic Governor’s Association, he pledged to do everything to help elect a Democrat in the open governor’s race in the Granite State this fall.

Murphy introduced himself as a lifelong Red Sox fan, an attribute that he said “gets me no votes in New Jersey.”