Hunting Regulations in Vermont

Archery license ($26 resident) and muzzleloader license ($10 resident) required as add-ons for respective seasons. Turkey license required separately. Bear license additional. Moose permits by lottery draw only (very limited). Waterfowl stamp and Federal Duck Stamp ($27) required. HIP required for migratory birds.

Source: Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife (vtfishandwildlife.com). Last updated: 2026-03-05. Regulations may have changed — always verify with the official agency.

Vermont's rolling Green Mountains, dairy farms, and hardwood forests create quintessential New England hunting habitat. The state's intimate landscapes – no place in Vermont is more than 50 miles from another state – belie the quality of hunting opportunities available. White-tailed deer populations are robust, with the rifle season in mid-November drawing hunters from across the region who come for the chance to tag a heavy-bodied northern deer in classic Vermont terrain.

The state's wild turkey comeback is a genuine conservation success story. Once extirpated, turkeys were reintroduced in the 1960s and now occupy suitable habitat statewide. Spring gobbler season fills Vermont woods with the music of longbeards responding to calls in hardwood hollows and ridge systems. Black bear hunting has grown in popularity as populations have expanded, with both archery and firearms opportunities available in September and November.

Ruffed grouse hunting defines Vermont's small game culture. The state's mix of young forest, alder runs, and apple orchards provides prime drumming grouse habitat, and the flush of a grouse from a brush pile in a Vermont woodlot is a rite of autumn passage for the state's hunting community.

Best Times to Hunt in Vermont

🎯 Expert Hunting Tips for Vermont

• Deer hunters should focus on the Addison County agricultural areas adjacent to the Green Mountain National Forest, where deer funnel between the Champlain Valley cornfields and mountain hardwood ridges during November.
• Turkey hunters in spring find exceptional action in the upper Connecticut River valley towns of Guildhall and Lunenburg, where longbeards work open river floodplain fields bordered by mature hardwood timber.
• Bear hunters working the Glastenbury Wilderness area in Bennington County should pack in 2–3 miles from road access to find bears utilizing mast-producing beech and apple orchards in September.
• Ruffed grouse hunters should work the alder-choked stream corridors and aspen stands of the Northeast Kingdom in Essex and Orleans counties, where the best drumming grouse populations in Vermont remain.