Photo courtesy of VT Fish &
Wildlife
Robert Cameron of Rutland, Vt. with a nice buck he took
in an earlier Vermont archery deer hunting season.
Hunters are enthusiastic about Vermont's upcoming October 6-28
and December 1-9 archery deer hunting season, according to the
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.
A hunter may take up to three deer in Vermont's archery season
with three archery licenses. No more than one of the deer
taken during archery season may be a legal buck. No antlerless deer
may be taken in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E, where antlerless
deer hunting is prohibited in 2012.
In Vermont a hunter may take up to three deer in a calendar year
in any combination of seasons (Archery, Youth Weekend, November
Rifle Season, December Muzzleloader). Of these, only two may
be legal bucks, and only one buck may be taken in each
season. A "legal buck" is a deer with at least one antler
having two or more points one inch or longer. All three deer
in the annual bag limit may be antlerless deer.
In order to purchase an archery license, the hunter must show a
certificate of satisfactorily completing a bow hunter education
course, or show a previous or current bow hunting license from any
state or Canadian province, or sign an affidavit that they have
previously held an archery license.
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour
after sunset.
Tree stands and ground blinds may only be built or used if the
hunter has landowner permission. This includes portable as
well as permanent stands and blinds. A hunter constructing or using
a stand or blind must permanently mark his or her name and address
on it so that it may be conveniently and easily read. Landowners
are exempted from this requirement.
On Vermont State Wildlife Management Areas, it is illegal to use
nails, bolts or screws, including screw-in climbing steps, or wire,
chain or other material that penetrates through the bark.
Because additional restrictions apply, hunters are urged to read
the entire law governing the use of stands and blinds on page 24 of
the "2012 Vermont Guide to Hunting, Fishing & Trapping," which
is available online and where licenses are sold.
Hunters who are planning their first Vermont archery deer
hunting trip or who are looking for new hunting areas should get a
copy of the 2011 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report, which gives the
number of deer taken in each town in last year's deer hunting
seasons. It's available on Fish & Wildlife's website
(vtfishandwildlife.com) under Hunting & Trapping and then "Big
Game."
Vermont hunting and archery licenses may be quickly and easily
purchased on Fish and Wildlife's website
(vtfishandwildlife.com).
For more information, contact Vermont Fish and Wildlife by phone
at 802-241-3700.
