Portsmouth NH hunt/fish
General Topic
So I have an opportunity to work in Portsmouth NH. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about that part of the country. I’m sure the hunting and fishing is there, so I’m wondering if anyone can share some personal opinions of the area and it’s bow hunting potential.
Thanks!
Moose hunting is by lottery and it takes decades to draw. Whitetail deer is pretty good by all accounts.
It's not far from southern Maine, just across the river. No idea about access. Plenty of woods west of Concord NH.
If you want ocean fishing a lot of boats charter out of Gloucester (MA).
How about weather Dana? I didn’t realize you were on the East coast. I know what a Wisconsin winter looks like, but I hear NH can get brutally cold….?
Took a cooperative extension course years ago at UNH. All I know about Portsmouth, NH , is it’s a bastion of liberalism.
How about weather Dana? I didn’t realize you were on the East coast. I know what a Wisconsin winter looks like, but I hear NH can get brutally cold….?
What is the deal with all the double posts? They seem to have a mind of their own.
What is it a hour from Boston. I would guess unless you have a good connection all hunting will be over run with hunters.
70, Portsmouth is really nice. It is "Seacoast" region of NE MA, SE NH, SW Maine... That means there is some seasonality - IE, tourists increase in the summer. There is good freshwater fishing all over the area - say within a 90' drive you have access to everything from land locked salmon, lake trout to bass and sunfish or rivers with stocked trout. Access is pretty good as well.
The saltwater fishing is frigging fantastic for striped bass and blue fish (some years better than ohters for both, but good) and you can have fun catching flounders, mackerel and harbor pollack too. That's all from shore, if you do a charter you can catch months (for a family of 4) worth of cod/pollack.
The hunting is good in that area, though it's more "suburban" and access can be tougher. I dont recall the land access laws, but I think Maine, NH and I know MA all are "unposted = legal", outside towns, generally in more populated areas like those in the east, when it comes to hunting. So, that would require some thought when you first get here - figuring out the details. There is a fair bit of state land not that far off too.
Winters are not crazy. Yeah, sure, you get your blocks of time in the teens/20's for highs, but if you are near the coast usually you have fewer of those. My wife is from near St Paul MN, she claims the winters here are MUCH better than there (we are inland, and higher, so we tend to be colder than areas near the coast), so that may give you some sense of the weather in winter. Summer can be hot and humid, but again, my wife claims generally not as consistently hot and humid as MN.
There are some nice deer shot in southern NH, and there are more there than north/west... Same reasons as eastern MA and many other "suburban" areas - harder access, better food and cover, fewer predators. That said the bear hunting is pretty good in NH and turkey hunting is solid.
If you were moving to the Keene NH area which is not to dissimilar north south, but 3/4 west across the state, you have LOTS of woods, public, good access, and sure, some hunters, but probably better than lots of public in the mid west, I'd say solidly better, in terms of hunter numbers, especially during archery season. Gun season there is more traffic, but it's not crazy. That's probably 60' from Portsmouth, pending if you live right on the coast or on the western side or a town or two inland.
It's a nice area!
I'm like 50' from there, and we go up to the beaches in southern Maine with the kids often just for fun, which is another 10-20' from our place in MA. So I dont have all the details that others may be able to offer.
I live in by Keene, NH and the wardens say that there are 3-5 deer per square mile on average. There are hot spots, but on the whole it's pretty thin. TMBB
I'm just 30 minutes south of Portsmouth and do almost all of my deer hunting in MA very close by. I grew up in NH about an hour north of Portsmouth. It can get quite cold in the winter, but the Portsmouth area is moderated because of it's proximity to the ocean.
You'll have short drives N, NE, and NW to get into some larger chunks of public. You will also have smaller tracts of public much closer to the Portsmouth area. The Northeast isn't known for huge rack bucks, but we grow some big bodied deer out in the big woods. Also, we have tons of bears particularly in the White Mountains of NH. Moose opportunities are unfortunately declining big time due to winter ticks. It's my understanding you're in for a long wait to get a lottery tag.
Fishing striped bass is addicting! And you'd be in a great location for it.
Like will and Huntski noted the salt water fishing is fantastic. One of the reasons I honestly don’t think I’ll ever leave where I am. Hunting can be tough as noted. But the fishing is amazing. From flounder to haddock pollock cod shark bluefin tuna, we have pocket of mahi that pop up off shore etc. the shark fishing is typically great every summer on Jeffery’s or Stellwagen depending where the bait is. Offshore your looking anywhere from 7-25 miles to get into some fantastic ground fishing (haddock pollock cusk and cod) the occasional halibut is caught too. Some I’ve seen 2-250lbs. And the striper fishery is also great. If regs were better and the commercial take wasn’t so big it would be even better. I’ve personally caught cod to 60 pounds, stripers to 52, and more haddock and redfish (ocean perch) than I care to remember when it comes to filleting. Before children when I use to fish all the time we could honestly live on the fish I caught. Nothing better than catching reds in April and dropping em in butter on the cast iron when you get home.
Compare comps for houses in Idaho and New Hampshire and I’ll bet you’ll need quite a bit more annual income to break even. Idaho is a conservative state with great hunting and fishing. New Hampshire has been turned blue by Boston migration. Good luck with what you decide.
I also hadn't looked at your profile until now. Moving from Idaho to Portsmouth is gonna be a shock and maybe not in a good way. If you're used to wide open spaces, few people and not being told what to do, it could be rough. A couple hours north into the White Mountains will likely be closer to what I assume you're used to from a lifestyle perspective.
Idaho is a great place to be until it comes to wages. The NH job pays twice what I make here, and is closer to the industry standard than my current employer. You guys have definitely got me intrigued by the fishing alone. It’s a contract-to-hire position and they want me there ASAP. So , when it comes to the logistics of getting there, finding lodging, and settling in, Its rapidly turning into what will likely be a fruitless effort when it’s all said and done. Although disappointing, there are plenty of high end opportunities all over the country for the semi-conductor industry, I’ve been in long enough to know I can fit in anywhere. I just getting to the point that I don’t want to have to be in a hurry to make it happen.
Keep in mind, cost of living is going up. Perhaps if you are near a resort area, ID is spendy... but you could end up paying massively more for a home - hit up zillow and check a few towns around portsmouth to verify. If the pay scale is good, you may still find it financially positive, but given the magnitude of the move, it's worth verifying for sure.
I had it in my head you were in Wisconsin for some reason... that would be a pretty similar move if you were in the burbs of Madison or something similar. I dont know ID well.
The north east is great. From portsmouth you are in the white mountains in 60-90', big woods of northern Maine (southern reaches of them) in a couple hours, literally endless salt and freshwater fishing options.
Yeah, the politics here are different than some areas, but the people are good and the variety of outdoor things you can do within 1-2 hours of your door from almost anywhere are great.
Also, I'm not on the NH state Payroll ha ha ha!
Will, I used to live, and was part owner of a business in WI, just outside of Madison. I still own that home and currently rent it out. My intention was to keep my home in Idaho, and go to NH with temporary lodging. Micron in Idaho just broke ground on a 600,000 sqft mega-fab. Once that gets going I intend to be here to take advantage of some of the $15 billion it’s getting for the project! With any luck I’ll see a retirement in the next few years and catch up on all the hunting I’ve missed from being a workaholic! Lol!
All private land in New Hampshire is open to hunting unless it’s posted
70, shoot, that's worth a year or two or what not to make bank then. You get to try some different hunting, put in for a moose draw every year - you never know, I know guys who have tried over a decade and never pulled one, but also a guy who got one his first try... And the saltwater fishing is frigging awesome. Could be a fun life experience.
Maybe fly out for a weekend, take a hike in the whites, see some foliage, hit a lobster shack in coastal Maine for a lunch or "When Pigs Fly" pizzaria/brewhouse/bakery in Kittery just over the river from Portsmouth... Oh, and the Kittery Trading Post is a fun hunting/fishing/camping shop just over the river in Kittery Maine. Like a super well stocked local tackle/hunting shop, but the size of cabelas... Oh, and an Orvis outlet across from Kittery Trading Post too. That's all on the super commercial run of 1a just over the line.
