New Hampshire

A deer hunt this weekend is reserved for the youngest generation of hunters – The Boston Globe

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2024

A deer hunt this weekend is reserved for the youngest generation of hunters – The Boston Globe

“Youth weekend gives adult hunters the opportunity to pass their knowledge on to the next generation,” said Becky Fuda, the Deer Project leader for New Hampshire Fish and Game, about the hunt the state first established in 1999.

“Mentoring a young person can remind hunters why they started hunting and help preserve these traditions in New Hampshire,” she said. “It can be very rewarding to teach a young hunter to find and track deer and, hopefully, to harvest and field dress one as well.”

Fuda said the prospects for the hunt this year are excellent, pointing to a healthy deer population around the state.

Last year, young hunters took 249 deer during the weekend, and the harvest of adult bucks over the course of the hunting season was the second-highest on record — at 8,295 deer. Overall, 13,136 deer were harvested in 2023, according to a state report.

Severe cold and snow can have an impact on the deer population, but that wasn’t the case last winter, given the mild temperatures, according to the report. Warmer winters mean the deer population could continue to increase, the report said.

There is no minimum age for youth hunting in New Hampshire, but hunters under 16 must be accompanied by a licensed adult 18 years or older, according to Fish and Game.

PIctured is Elsie Kilborn, whose family plans to take her on her first youth hunt this year. Jill Kilborn

Jill Kilborn grew up hunting with her dad in northern New Hampshire, and this weekend, she said she plans to take her 11-year-old daughter Elsie on the youth hunt for the first time.

“I think she’s excited,” said Kilborn, who now lives in Island Pond, Vt. “We’ve done a lot of prep. We try and get out and do a lot of shooting with the kids. We try to instill the need for responsibility to ensure you’re doing it in an ethical way.”

Along with her husband Dan Kilborn and her 14-year-old son Jackson, she said the family will participate in Vermont’s youth hunt, which is happening the same weekend.

The family will head to the small dairy farm in Derby, Vt., where Dan Kilborn grew up, which Jill Kilborn said has become a family tradition in the four years her son has been hunting. She recalled being with her son when he shot his first turkey, and the mixed emotions he felt after killing the animal.

“There was a lot of joy right off the bat, but then after that initial joy there’s the feeling of yes, this is serious. Like, we took the life of something, we need to treat it properly,” she said. “It’s a big thing to take the life of an animal. We use every part of it that we can and appreciate the sustenance it’s going to provide.”

Kilborn said that hunting from a young age shaped her interest in the outdoors and her career, leading her to become a wildlife biologist for Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, where she mostly works with threatened and endangered species.

“It is at the foundation of being connected to the land and to the wildlife around me. It all stems back to the relationship I had with hunting,” she said. Now, she said, she can see her children becoming more connected to the landscape through hunting.

Hunting deer is part of New Hampshire’s management plan, as there are several parts of the state where the deer population is higher than they’d like it to be. Too many deer can have a negative impact on plant and wildlife diversity, as deer can completely remove the shrubs and tree seedlings that they eat, according to PennState College of Agricultural Sciences.

Some question the merits of introducing children to hunting.

“It’s sad because children are born with a natural compassion for animals. That’s why we give them stuffed animals,” said Joan O’Brien, president of the NH Animal Rights League. “I think hunting trains that compassion out of children, and it’s tragic.”

She said there are plenty of ways for young people to get outside that don’t involve guns or killing anything.

To stay safe during hunting season, Fish and Game recommends people recreating outdoors wear blaze orange to be easily visible to hunters. It’s also recommended to stick to established hiking trails where encountering hunters is less likely. Choose the right time to recreate outside and remember that wildlife, and therefore hunters, are most active at dawn and dusk.

The state also has additional safety recommendations for hunters, including keeping control of firearms at all times. Hunters should also wear safety glasses and always keep track of where their hunting partners are. Hunters are expected to be sure of their target and know what is beyond it, according to the state.

You can keep track of the hunting seasons in the state here.

Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.

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New Hampshire

Three seriously injured in head-on crash on I-293 in Hooksett, N.H. – The Boston Globe

Published

3 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Three seriously injured in head-on crash on I-293 in Hooksett, N.H. – The Boston Globe

Three people suffered injuries in a two-vehicle collision early Tuesday morning in Hooksett, New Hampshire.Courtesy of New Hampshore State

Three people suffered serious injuries Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash in Hooksett, N.H., police said.

The head-on collision happened around 5:40 a.m. on Interstate 293 northbound, State Police said.

Police said that Timothy Hubbard, 43, of Rome, Maine, was traveling south when he lost control of his car and crossed the median into oncoming traffic, police said.

Hubbard, his passenger, and the other driver were taken to hospitals to be treated for serious injuries, police said. The injures were not believed to be life-threatening.

Police said speed was believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation.

Hannah Goeke can be reached at hannah.goeke@globe.com.

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New Hampshire

Sara Doherty – Concord Monitor

Published

13 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Sara Doherty

Franklin, NH – Sara Jane (Sanford) Doherty, 79, of Franklin, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully at her home on June 11, 2026. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Sara was born on June 5, 1947, in Hanover, New Hampshire, to Harold and Sadie (Pettengill) Sanford.

As the daughter of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee, Sara spent her childhood moving throughout New England, living in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She graduated from high school in Hudson, Massachusetts, and later returned to New Hampshire, eventually settling in Franklin, where she made her home for more than forty years.

Sara built a successful career in the textile industry. She worked as a seamstress at Howland Originals before joining Star Specialty Knitting, where she began as a stitcher and, through hard work and determination, advanced to Plant Manager. She retired in 2003, and one of the greatest joys of her retirement was caring for several of her grandchildren, whom she adored.

Sara was a remarkably talented and creative artisan. She sewed clothing for her children when they were young and later created outfits for her grandchildren and their dolls. She was a gifted painter and artist whose extraordinary drawings and paintings brought joy to those around her. An accomplished seamstress, knitter, crocheter, cake decorator, and musician, Sara had an exceptional ability to create beauty in many forms. Her handmade gifts and treasured creations will be cherished by her family for generations to come.

Her talent for cake decorating blossomed into a successful side business that spanned more than thirty years. Sara created hundreds of stunning and imaginative cakes, including wedding and birthday cakes for her own children and grandchildren. Her passion for baking was so well known that for many years her license plate proudly read “CAKES+.”

Sara also had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. She hosted countless family reunions, each one more creative than the last. With elaborate themes, games, prizes, delicious food, and endless laughter, she created memories that her family will treasure forever. She was also known for her generous holiday gatherings, often welcoming more than thirty family members and friends into her home for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Summers brought cherished Fourth of July cookouts by Webster Lake, where Sara delighted in decorating the waterfront and gathering loved ones to enjoy the annual boat parade.

Sara’s love of giraffes was known by all who knew her. She spent years collecting hundreds of them, giving each a special “G” name. Before her passing, she shared one of her favorites, “Geebri,” with her granddaughter Sydni, who is expecting Sara’s first great-grandchild.

Her warmth, creativity, generosity, and love of family touched everyone who knew her. To say she will be missed is a vast understatement. She was truly the heart of her family.

Sara leaves behind her devoted husband of 43 years, Joel Doherty; her sons, Todd (Michelle) Chapman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, and Paul (Cheryl) Chapman of Northfield, New Hampshire; her stepdaughters, Ali (Oliver) Frates of Amherst, New Hampshire, and Kate Hodge of Durham, New Hampshire; and her beloved grandchildren, Shelby, Sydni, Morgan, Owen, Duncan, Calum, Macy, and Elyse, and Step-grandchildren, Matthew, Jennifer, Eric, & Kevin.

Sara was predeceased by her parents.

Sara’s family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Franklin VNA for their rapid and seamless response in setting up hospice, and to The Payson Center for their dedication and care, which gave us more precious time with her.

A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Franklin Cemetery, Thompson Park in Franklin.

For more information or to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.smartmemorialhome.com.

Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes

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New Hampshire

New NH law requires statewide ‘best practices’ for pig scrambles starting in 2027

Published

24 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

New NH law requires statewide ‘best practices’ for pig scrambles starting in 2027

A staple of many New Hampshire town fairs, the pig scramble may soon look a little different.

A bill signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte last week requires the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture to create best practices for any event in which people compete to capture a pig. Those guidelines will be published before the 2027 fair season, so they won’t be in place for any fairs with pig scrambles this year, such as the upcoming Deerfield Fair in the fall.

Generally, a pig scramble involves people of the same age competing to capture pigs that have been let loose in a large pen. Contestants have to catch the pig in a drawstring bag, and the first one to do so can take the pig home.

Rep. Cathryn Harvey, a Democrat from Spofford, is the prime sponsor of the bill. She said each fair has different rules for their pig scrambles, meaning some can be more humane than others. One aspect of the events she hopes will change is the bags pigs are captured in.

“They’re putting an animal in a plastic bag on a hot summer day,” Harvey said. “It isn’t a great idea.”

Although some fairs already use more breathable bags out of burlap, Joan O’Brien, president of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League, said she’s also seen pigs being kept in plastic bags for long periods of time after the event. Not only would a burlap bag improve the pig’s ability to breathe in the heat, she said, but she also wants fairs to require participants to bring an animal carrier for the trip home. Her organization was ultimately in favor of the legislation.

“If you don’t have a carrier, you should not be allowed to leave your pig lying in a bag,” O’Brien said, adding that some fairs already ask contestants to bring carriers. “You should be taking them right home.”

The Deerfield Fair has implemented another rule that O’Brien and Harvey hope becomes part of statewide best practices — having parents supervise their child in the pen. O’Brien once witnessed a child hang a pig upside down by its legs and then lower it headfirst into the bag.

“In the heat of the moment, the kids get excited and they just do whatever it takes to get the pig in the bag,” O’Brien said. She said parents should work with the event referee to make sure their kid is handling the pig humanely.

Harvey’s bill originally called for pig scrambles to be banned around the state, but both she and O’Brien feel that universal guidelines for fairs would still make the experience better for the animals. Even seemingly small things, Harvey said, like giving the pigs water after the scramble, would be an improvement to the current situation for them.

“I think that the bill will embolden people to speak up at these events,” O’Brien said. “If they think a pig is being mistreated, they’ll be able to say to themselves, ‘I know that there’s supposed to be a rule, so I’m going to say something.’ So I think that would be a good outcome.”

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