TAKE ACTION: Written comments can be submitted by email to Cheryl Walsh at [email protected] or Patricia Houde at [email protected]. You can also voice your support by attending the meeting at 9 a.m. in the Representatives Hall of the statehouse located at: 107 N. Main St, Concord, NH 03303. Please fill out a witness form, which can be found in the front of the committee room, so you can be recognized at the meeting.
On Friday, April 1, the New Hampshire Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) will hold a hearing at 9 a.m. to discuss the rules pertaining to a limited bobcat season for hunters and trappers. Sportsmen’s Alliance members are encouraged to attend this meeting to support the rule “FP 2015-206 Limited Bobcat Season,” which would allow the issuance of 50 bobcat permits through a lottery process. The meeting will be held in Representatives Hall of the statehouse.
In February, the Fish and Game Commission approved the new season, sending it to the JLCAR Committee for final approval.
New Hampshire has put together one of the most conservative management plans in the region for the hunting and trapping of bobcats. Maine, Vermont, Quebec and even Massachusetts allow for bobcat hunting, and none of them use a permit system.
The proposed season comes as the result of a collaborative study between the state and the University of New Hampshire, which concluded that a season could be held without any adverse impact to bobcat numbers. New Hampshire’s plan still promotes growth of the bobcat population, while allowing a recreational opportunity for hunters and trappers who will play a role in managing the species.
The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s wealthiest and largest anti-hunting organization, has called on its members to oppose the season. It is important that sportsmen voice their support for the rule package “FP 2015-206 Limited Bobcat Season” on April 1.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance:The Sportsmen’s Alliance is a 501 (c) 4 organization that protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization that supports the same mission through public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.