Vermont Muzzleloader and 2nd Archery Deer Seasons, Dec. 1-9

Vermont - Vermont’s hunters will get one final chance for a deer this year during the muzzleloader deer season and the second part of the archery deer season which falls on December 1-9. While check stations are still mailing in reports from rifle season and the first archery season, preliminary reports indicate that hunters are tagging some exceptionally heavy bucks with big antlers.

Vermont hunters may take up to three deer in a calendar year with appropriate licenses and permits for each deer season (archery, youth weekend, November rifle, December muzzleloader). Only two deer may be legal bucks and only one buck is allowed per season. A legal buck must have at least
one antler with two or more points one inch or longer. The main antler beam counts as one point.

Hunters may take antlerless deer during archery season (with the exception of WMU-E in the Northeast Kingdom), but not during November rifle season. Winners of the antlerless deer lottery may take one antlerless deer during the December muzzleloader season. Winners of this lottery are reminded that the orange postcard that was sent to them earlier this fall is their antlerless deer tag.

The Fish and Wildlife Board approved the number of antlerless permits for December muzzleloader season at 12,425 this year. Biologists anticipate that hunters will take roughly 2,200 antlerless deer during the muzzleloader season.

For more information on the muzzleloader season, go to: http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Additional_Resources/Hunting_and_trapping/Big_game/Muzzleloader_Deer_Regulations_2012.pdf

For more information on the archery season, go to: http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Additional_Resources/Hunting_and_trapping/Big_game/Archery_Deer_Regulations_2012.pdf