Vermont Hunters React to New Antlerless Deer Hunting Rules

Shoppers filed into R&L Archery on Friday morning to purchase hunting licenses, ammunition, and synthetic deer urine ahead of Vermont’s 16-day rifle deer hunting season, which begins on Saturday.

The state expects between 60,000 and 65,000 hunters in the field over the next two weeks, according to Nick Fortin, the Deer Project Leader for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

For the first time in 39 years, Vermont hunters can shoot antlerless and female deer during the regular rifle season. Previously, harvesting antlerless deer was restricted to archery and muzzleloader seasons. State surveys show that a majority of hunters under 55 support the policy, while a plurality of hunters aged 65 and older oppose it, VTDigger reported.

“Some hunters are really nervous about it. They’re afraid we’re going to kill too many deer, or maybe they have safety concerns,” Fortin told The Bridge. “We actually do need to kill more deer in some areas, but we also want to be sensitive to those concerns so that we don’t lose this tool again because we need this.”

While the state deer population remains stable overall, regions like the Champlain Valley, the Connecticut River Valley, and the Barre-Montpelier area carry more deer than the local ecosystem can support. Overgrazing threatens forest stability, and high deer densities contribute to tick-borne disease transmission and deer-car collisions, according to the Penn State Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

To address this overabundance, the Fish and Wildlife Board issued 12,050 antlerless deer permits for the rifle season through an August lottery. Fortin estimates this will result in approximately 3,000 female and antlerless deer harvested during the regular season. Hunters may take a buck with any valid license, but overall bag limits still apply.

Joe Sanborn, manager at R&L Archery, said that he has spent the year answering questions about the new regulations. “Every time they change anything, it gets people a little confused for a bit until we all settle into the new normal,” Sanborn told The Bridge.

Melvin Pierson, a shopper who hunts in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, said that he has not harvested a doe in a decade and plans to maintain that personal rule.

“I think if they’re going to shoot does, then they should shoot them earlier in the season,” Pierson told The Bridge inside the Barre store. “I’m a little against shooting them late season when they’re already bred.” Peak deer mating occurs during this month, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.

Brandon Kennedy purchased a new shotgun and ammunition at the shop on Friday, telling The Bridge that he assumes the state completed its due diligence before implementing the change.

Dylan Sickles, a fish culture operations manager for the state Fish & Wildlife Department and a scout master for Boy Scouts of America Troop 1, spent Friday morning selling homemade pies outside R&L Archery.