The Vermont Hunting Experience

Vermonters have a proud heritage of living close to the land in our very rural state. Hunting is a way of life here, so much that we allow hunting on Sundays. We believe it is important for all of us who hunt today to do our best to pass our hunting tradition on to the next generation. To help make it easier, Vermont offers reduced license fees for hunters 17 years of age or under ($8.00 for residents and $25.00 for nonresidents).

Hunting in Vermont is easier than in many states because we have more than 800,000 acres of federal and state public land open to hunting as well as plenty of hunting opportunity on private land. The maps near the back of this book show state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) state forests, state parks, national wildlife refuges, and the Green Mountain National Forest. More detailed maps of WMAs are on the Fish & Wildlife website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) and in the “Guide to Wildlife Management Areas of Vermont” book available through the online store.

To learn more about Vermont hunting, check in at our website or call us at (802) 241-3700, and check our Facebook page. Helpful publications such as the previous year’s hunting season reports for deer, bear, moose and turkey are posted as PDFs under “Hunting and Trapping.” They report on the number of these big game animals taken in each town. Archery deer season and migratory bird hunting regulation supplements will be posted there in September.

Planning your trip and finding a place to stay is easy at www.VermontVacation.com. More information about lodging and guides is available from the Vermont Outdoor Guides Association at www.voga.org and a t 1-800-425-8747.

Hunting licenses can quickly and easily be purchased online through our website with a credit card and printed at home, or you can go to a license agent at many Vermont stores for help. To purchase a hunting license, you must have previously held a hunting license or passed a hunter safety course in any state or Canadian province. The archery deer hunting license has similar requirements.

Moose hunting lottery applications are normally available on our website in late April. Muzzleloader season antlerless deer hunting lottery applications will be available online in mid-June.