Vermont deer, bear and moose hunting: WMUs, legal bucks and 2026 seasons
Vermont hunters took 17,803 deer in 2025, 9,738 of them bucks, along with 1,022 bears and 68 moose. The 2026 regular deer season runs November 14 to 29, and what counts as a legal buck depends on the WMU.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: VFWD's 2025 harvest reports. Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons; VFWD 2026 Vermont Hunting and Trapping Seasons.
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When are Vermont's 2026 seasons?
| Season | Dates, 2026 | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Deer, expanded archery | September 15 to 30 | Expanded Archery Zones only |
| Deer, archery | October 1 to December 15 | One legal buck; an antlerless deer may be taken on an archery tag anywhere in the state this year |
| Deer, October muzzleloader | October 29 to November 1 | Antlerless only, with an antlerless permit for the WMU |
| Deer, youth and novice weekend | November 7 to 8 | One deer of either sex, no antler restriction |
| Deer, regular (16 days) | November 14 to 29 | One legal buck; antlerless with a permit (new for 2026) |
| Deer, December muzzleloader | November 30 to December 13 | One legal buck; antlerless with a permit |
| Bear, early season | September 1 to November 13 | |
| Bear, late season | November 14 to 22 | |
| Turkey, spring | May 1 to 31 (youth and novice April 25 to 26) | |
| Turkey, fall (bow) | October 1 to November 13 | All WMUs |
| Turkey, fall (shotgun or bow) | October 24 to November 1 | WMUs B, D, G, H, I, J, L, M, O, P and Q |
| Turkey, fall (shotgun or bow) | October 24 to November 8 | WMUs F, K and N |
| Moose | Posted by VFWD | WMUs E1 and E2, by permit |
Sources: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons; VFWD 2026 Vermont Hunting and Trapping Seasons.
How many deer are taken in Vermont each year?
| Year | Bucks | Antlerless | Total deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9,738 | 8,065 | 17,803 |
| 2024 | 9,356 | 7,956 | 17,312 |
| 2023 | 9,848 | 6,997 | 16,845 |
| 2022 | 9,619 | 7,842 | 17,461 |
| 2021 | 9,133 | 6,725 | 15,858 |
Sources: VFWD 2025 deer harvest report; VFWD 2024 deer harvest report; VFWD 2023 deer harvest report; VFWD 2022 deer harvest report; VFWD 2021 deer harvest report.
Vermont's Wildlife Management Units
The most deer in 2025 came from WMU B (3,079), WMU D1 (1,742) and WMU J2 (1,462). The legal buck column gives each WMU's 2026 rule.
| WMU | Square miles | Legal buck | Public land | Deer, 2025 | Bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU A | 194 | two points on one antler | 2.7% | 534 | 248 | 0 |
| WMU B | 787 | two points on one antler | 3.1% | 3,079 | 1,306 | 29 |
| WMU C | 403 | one antler of 3 inches | 11.1% | 1,034 | 561 | 53 |
| WMU D1 | 631 | two points on one antler | 3.3% | 1,742 | 979 | 120 |
| WMU D2 | 419 | one antler of 3 inches | 9.1% | 846 | 481 | 74 |
| WMU E1 | 325 | one antler of 3 inches | 31.1% | 196 | 158 | 14 |
| WMU E2 | 343 | one antler of 3 inches | 27% | 197 | 156 | 44 |
| WMU F1 | 445 | two points on one antler | 3.9% | 628 | 331 | 3 |
| WMU F2 | 299 | two points on one antler | 2.3% | 661 | 346 | 23 |
| WMU G | 410 | one antler of 3 inches | 29.8% | 627 | 384 | 46 |
| WMU H | 557 | two points on one antler | 17.6% | 892 | 468 | 59 |
| WMU I | 441 | one antler of 3 inches | 56.2% | 523 | 333 | 53 |
| WMU J1 | 568 | two points on one antler | 3.3% | 1,035 | 521 | 57 |
| WMU J2 | 761 | two points on one antler | 2.7% | 1,462 | 742 | 135 |
| WMU K | 488 | two points on one antler | 5.4% | 1,175 | 627 | 41 |
| WMU L | 388 | one antler of 3 inches | 45.1% | 332 | 254 | 55 |
| WMU M | 473 | one antler of 3 inches | 12.1% | 347 | 292 | 48 |
| WMU N | 347 | two points on one antler | 5% | 690 | 463 | 48 |
| WMU O | 606 | two points on one antler | 3.9% | 956 | 524 | 49 |
| WMU P | 482 | one antler of 3 inches | 53.3% | 435 | 303 | 51 |
| WMU Q | 247 | one antler of 3 inches | 5.4% | 412 | 261 | 19 |
Harvest: VFWD 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report; VFWD 2025 Black Bear Harvest Report. Public land measured by FilledTag from Vermont ANR land units (state forests, parks and Fish and Wildlife land) for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land.
How much of Vermont is public hunting ground?
14.9% of Vermont is state or federal land: national forest 414,096 acres, state forest 257,799 acres, Fish and Wildlife land 151,580 acres, state park 52,792 acres, national wildlife refuge 34,221 acres, Army Corps of Engineers 1,983 acres and National Park Service 1,952 acres. Private land not posted against hunting is open to it in Vermont, which this count leaves out.
Wildlife Management Areas with their own page
- Arthur Davis, 7,951 acres
- Atherton Meadows, 1,036 acres
- Averill Mountain, 561 acres
- Avery's Gore, 258 acres
- Bald Hill, 1,132 acres
- Bill Sladyk, 9,038 acres
- Birdseye, 3,659 acres
- Black Creek, 301 acres
- Blueberry Hill, 1,390 acres
- Bonsawinno, 285 acres
- Brandon Swamp, 784 acres
- Buck Lake, 616 acres
- Buczek Marsh, 96 acres
- Calendar Brook, 453 acres
- Carmans Marsh, 91 acres
- Clarendon Gorge, 54 acres
- Clover Hill, 499 acres
- Cornwall Swamp, 1,354 acres
- Dead Creek, 3,507 acres
- Densmore Hill, 251 acres
- Eagle Point, 458 acres
- East Creek, 436 acres
- East Hill, 862 acres
- Elm Brook, 206 acres
- Fairfield Swamp, 1,629 acres
- Fairlee Marsh, 59 acres
- Fred Johnson, 1,190 acres
- Gale Meadows, 868 acres
- Halfmoon Cove, 296 acres
- Hawks Mountain, 2,282 acres
- Hubbardton Battlefield, 256 acres
- Huntington Gap, 1,603 acres
- Intervale, 487 acres
- Johnson Farm, 286 acres
- Keiser Pond, 69 acres
- Kesick Swamp, 127 acres
- Kibling Hill, 908 acres
- Knapp Brook, 1,250 acres
- Lemon Fair, 1,698 acres
- Les Newell, 8,470 acres
- Levi Pond, 260 acres
- Lewis Creek, 2,018 acres
- Little Ascutney, 860 acres
- Little Otter Creek, 1,741 acres
- Loves Marsh, 73 acres
- Lower Lamoille River, 229 acres
- Lower Otter Creek, 750 acres
- Maquam Bay, 935 acres
- Marsh Pond, 96 acres
- Middlesex Notch, 625 acres
- Middlesex, 281 acres
- Mud Creek, 1,273 acres
- Ottauquechee, 263 acres
- Otter Creek, 1,576 acres
- Pine Mountain, 2,418 acres
- Plymsbury, 1,930 acres
- Podunk, 892 acres
- Pomainville, 572 acres
- Pond Woods, 2,170 acres
- Richville, 374 acres
- Riley Bostwick, 386 acres
- Roaring Brook, 1,812 acres
- Robbins Mountain, 898 acres
- Rochester, 237 acres
- Rock River, 416 acres
- Roy Marsh, 63 acres
- Roy Mountain, 1,595 acres
- Runaway Pond, 75 acres
- Sandbar, 1,557 acres
- Skitchewaug, 215 acres
- Snake Mountain, 1,198 acres
- South Bay, 2,554 acres
- South Stream, 147 acres
- Star Lake, 92 acres
- Steam Mill Brook, 11,098 acres
- The Narrows, 401 acres
- Tinmouth Channel, 1,245 acres
- Tiny Pond, 712 acres
- Town Farm, 530 acres
- Turner Hill, 1,244 acres
- Victory Basin, 5,454 acres
- Ward Marsh, 100 acres
- Washington, 264 acres
- Weathersfield, 65 acres
- Wenlock, 2,557 acres
- West Fairlee, 92 acres
- West Mountain, 22,736 acres
- Whipple Hollow, 506 acres
- Whipstock Hill, 441 acres
- White River, 642 acres
- Whitney/Hospital Creek, 337 acres
- Wild Branch, 409 acres
- Willoughby Falls, 592 acres
- Worcester Woods, 186 acres
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season in Vermont in 2026?
Archery October 1 to December 15 (from September 15 in the Expanded Archery Zones), October muzzleloader October 29 to November 1 for antlerless deer, youth and novice weekend November 7 to 8, the 16-day regular season November 14 to 29 and December muzzleloader November 30 to December 13 (VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons).
What is a legal buck in Vermont?
In WMUs C, D2, E1, E2, G, I, L, M, P and Q a legal buck has at least one antler 3 inches or longer. In the other WMUs, A, B, D1, F1, F2, H, J1, J2, K, N and O, it needs at least one antler with two or more points of an inch or more. WMU D1 joins the point rule in 2026.
How many deer were taken in Vermont in 2025?
17,803: 9,738 bucks and 8,065 antlerless deer (VFWD 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report). The most came from WMU B (3,079), WMU D1 (1,742) and WMU J2 (1,462).
Where can you hunt moose in Vermont?
Only in WMUs E1 and E2 in the Northeast Kingdom, by lottery permit. In 2025 VFWD issued 178 permits and hunters took 68 moose (VFWD 2025 Moose Harvest Report).
When is bear season in Vermont in 2026?
The early season runs September 1 to November 13 and the late season November 14 to 22. Residents may hunt with dogs by permit September 1 to November 22, nonresidents from September 15. Hunters took 1,022 bears in 2025.
Get a Vermont hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Vermont are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Vermont included.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons; VFWD 2026 Vermont Hunting and Trapping Seasons.
- Harvest: VFWD 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report; VFWD 2025 Black Bear Harvest Report; VFWD 2025 Moose Harvest Report.
- WMUs: Vermont ANR Wildlife Management Units. WMAs: Vermont ANR land units (Wildlife Management Areas). Public land: Vermont ANR land units (state forests, parks and Fish and Wildlife land) for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land.
FilledTag is not part of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. VFWD's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.