New Hampshire archery laws require anyone hunting with a bow to hold an archery license from the Fish and Game Department ($32 for residents, $83 for non-residents), use equipment that meets minimum draw weight and broadhead standards, and follow season dates that run September 15 through December 15 for deer in most of the state. First-time buyers must complete a hunter education course, and as of September 2025, crossbows are legal for any archery license holder in a dozen Wildlife Management Units without a separate permit.
Who Needs a License and What It Costs
An archery license covers deer during archery season and other wildlife during their respective open seasons, and it includes one archery deer tag.1State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. NH License Requirements Residents pay $32, non-residents pay $83, and residents 68 and older qualify for a senior archery license at $3.2State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. License Prices
If you want a chance at a second antlered deer, you can add a Special Archery Deer license for $26, but only at the time you buy your archery license. You cannot go back and add it later. Expect a one-time $2.50 agent fee the first time you buy any hunting license in a given year.1State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. NH License Requirements
Hunter Education
First-time license buyers must show either a prior hunting or archery license from any state and any year, or a certificate from an approved hunter or bowhunter education course.1State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. NH License Requirements If you have never held a license anywhere, you need the course. New Hampshire offers a fully in-person option and an online course that requires a mandatory in-person field day with a practical exam.3State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Hunter Education
Landowners and Youth
Permanent New Hampshire residents hunting on their own land do not need a license. This exemption does not extend to non-residents who own property in the state, and every other rule (seasons, bag limits, equipment) still applies.4State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Landowner and Hunter FAQs
Hunters under 16 do not need a general archery license, but they must be accompanied at all times by a licensed adult 18 or older. The adult has to stay within sight and hearing, close enough for actual physical direction and control. Phones and radios don’t satisfy the requirement.5State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Youth Hunting in New Hampshire Minors still have to buy certain species-specific licenses on their own, including the Special Archery Deer tag, turkey, and bear licenses.1State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. NH License Requirements
When Archery Season Runs
Archery deer season runs September 15 through December 15 in most Wildlife Management Units. WMU A is the exception, closing a week earlier on December 8.6State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Deer Hunting in New Hampshire Turkey and bear each have their own archery-eligible dates, so check the current hunting digest before you go out for anything other than deer.
Legal Equipment
Longbows, recurve bows, and compound bows are all legal. Minimum draw weights are measured at 28 inches of draw length or less:
- Deer or bear: 40 pounds
- Moose: 50 pounds
- Turkey: 30 pounds
Only broadheads are legal for taking game. Fixed-blade broadheads must measure between ⅞ inch and 1½ inches wide. Retractable (mechanical) broadheads can fly narrower but must open to at least ⅞ inch.7Cornell Law School. New Hampshire Admin Code Fis 301.041 – Minimum Requirements for Crossbow and Archery Equipment Used for Hunting Field points, target tips, explosive heads, and poisoned arrowheads are prohibited.
Crossbow Rules Changed in 2025
For years, crossbow use during archery season was limited to hunters with a permanent disability permit. That has changed for much of the state.
As of September 2025, anyone holding an archery license can harvest deer by crossbow during archery season in WMUs D2W, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L, and M.8NH Fish and Game Department. New Rules for Hunters Become Effective September 1 No separate crossbow permit is needed in those units. During firearms season, crossbows can be used anywhere in the state with a standard hunting license.
Outside those WMUs, archery-season crossbow use still requires either a permanent disabled crossbow permit or age. Hunters 68 or older with an archery license may use a crossbow during archery deer season without any additional permit.9New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Permanent Disabled Crossbow Permit Application The disabled crossbow permit requires medical documentation from a physician or nurse practitioner, and Fish and Game may request an in-person evaluation or a second opinion. It carries a one-time $10 fee and is perpetual once granted, but holders give up the right to hunt with a conventional bow in New Hampshire.10Legal Information Institute (LII). New Hampshire Admin Code Fis 1101.08 – Permanent Disabled Crossbow Permit
Crossbows used for hunting must have a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds and a working mechanical safety. Bolts must use broadheads that meet the same ⅞-inch minimum width as arrow broadheads.7Cornell Law School. New Hampshire Admin Code Fis 301.041 – Minimum Requirements for Crossbow and Archery Equipment Used for Hunting
Where You Can and Cannot Shoot
New Hampshire follows an open-land tradition. All state, federal, municipal, county, and private land is open to hunting unless it is posted against it.11State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Where to Hunt The main statewide restriction for bowhunters comes from RSA 207:3-a: no one may discharge a bow and arrow or crossbow and bolt within 300 feet of a permanently occupied dwelling without permission from the owner or occupant. The word “permanently” matters. A seasonal cabin sitting empty most of the year isn’t necessarily covered, but a year-round home is. Violating the rule is a violation-level offense.4State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Landowner and Hunter FAQs
Landowners can close their property with signs or with purple paint. New Hampshire treats vertical purple stripes on trees or fence posts as the legal equivalent of a “no trespassing” sign. Even with permission on the land you’re standing on, arrows and bolts cannot legally cross into property where you don’t have permission. Some Wildlife Management Areas and municipalities impose further restrictions, so check for posted rules at access points if you’re near developed areas.
After the Shot
Deer and turkey taken with a bow must be registered within 24 hours, either online or at the nearest open check station.12State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Check Stations and Registration The online system runs for most of the season but goes offline during the opening days of muzzleloader and firearms seasons so biologists can collect data in person. Missing the 24-hour window is a common and avoidable citation.
State law also prohibits wanton waste. If you wound or kill an animal, you must make a reasonable effort to retrieve it. Leaving a wounded animal, or taking only antlers or a hide and abandoning the edible meat, are both violation-level offenses.13State of New Hampshire Fish and Game. Part Fis 313 Wanton Waste Prohibited
Penalties
Conservation officers enforce archery laws and can issue citations, inspect equipment, and investigate violations.14New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Revised Statutes Title XVIII, Chapter 207, Section 207-37-b Most archery infractions are violation-level offenses carrying fines. More serious conduct, such as poaching or repeated violations, can bring license revocation and equipment confiscation.
Consequences don’t stop at the state line. New Hampshire is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact under RSA 215-D:1, meaning a suspension here can be honored by every other member state, and a suspension elsewhere can be honored here.15New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Revised Statutes Title XVIII, Chapter 215-D, Section 215-D-1 Transporting illegally taken game across state lines also triggers the federal Lacey Act. For wildlife with a market value above $350, individual criminal penalties can reach five years in prison and $250,000 in fines; below that threshold, up to one year and $100,000.16USDA APHIS. Frequently Asked Questions About Lacey Act Declaration Requirements Federal charges are rare for routine archery violations, but they become a real risk when someone takes deer out of season and moves the meat into Massachusetts or Vermont.