Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area: hunting, map and deer in WMU B
Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area is 1,629 acres of Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department land in Franklin County, inside WMU B. VFWD's sheet says it is open to regulated hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. A legal buck here needs at least one antler with two or more points 1 inch or longer, and hunters took 3,079 deer in WMU B in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary: ANR. Description: VFWD's Fairfield Swamp WMA sheet, last edited 9/30/22. Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons.
Fish and Wildlife landFairfield Swamp WMAWMU lineHighway
| Size | 1,629 acres (ANR) |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin |
| Wildlife Management Unit | WMU B |
| VFWD region | Northwest |
| Open to (VFWD) | regulated hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing |
| Game named on VFWD's sheet | white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare and waterfowl |
| Legal buck, 2026 | At least one antler with two or more points 1 inch or longer |
| Deer taken in WMU B, 2025 | 3,079 (1,306 bucks) |
| Nearest villages | St. Albans (4 mi), Fairfax (6 mi) and Highgate Center (8 mi) |
What is Fairfield Swamp WMA like?
VFWD describes where it is: "Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 1,561-acre tract located in the towns of Fairfield, Swanton, and St. Albans Town." Of the land: "Fairfield Swamp consists of a part of Dead Creek and its associated wetlands." On its past: "The basin that includes Fairfield Swamp was originally part of Lake Vermont, a much larger version of Lake Champlain which existed after the glaciers melted." On its animals: "Larger mammals associated with wetlands are beaver, muskrat, river otter, mink and raccoon." The sheet names white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare and waterfowl among its wildlife. On parking: "The swamp can be accessed from the parking area east of the causeway on Route 36 in Fairfield where there is a canoe put-in and wildlife viewing area."
Quoted from VFWD's Fairfield Swamp WMA sheet. VFWD notes its WMA maps are a general guide, not survey boundaries.
When can you hunt Fairfield Swamp WMA in 2026?
Seasons follow WMU B: archery October 1 to December 15, youth and novice weekend November 7 to 8, regular season November 14 to 29 and December muzzleloader November 30 to December 13. A legal buck needs at least one antler with two or more points 1 inch or longer. Fall turkey: bow and arrow October 1 to November 13; shotgun or bow October 24 to November 1.
| WMU | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Bucks, 2025 | Bears, 2025 | Legal buck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU B | 1,628 | 3,079 | 1,306 | 29 | two points on one antler |
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.
How do you get to Fairfield Swamp WMA?
Highways within five miles: I-89, VT 36, VT 104, US 7, VT 105 and VT 207. Nearest villages: St. Albans (4 miles), Fairfax (6 miles), Highgate Center (8 miles) and Swanton (9 miles). Other WMAs nearby: Elm Brook (6 miles), Black Creek (7 miles), Maquam Bay (11 miles).
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Fairfield Swamp WMA?
Yes. VFWD's sheet says Fairfield Swamp WMA is open to regulated hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Seasons and the legal buck rule follow WMU B: a buck needs at least one antler with two or more points 1 inch or longer, and the 2026 regular deer season runs November 14 to 29.
What WMU is Fairfield Swamp WMA in?
WMU B. Hunters took 3,079 deer in WMU B in 2025, 1,306 of them bucks, and 29 bears (VFWD).
Where is Fairfield Swamp WMA?
VFWD: "Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 1,561-acre tract located in the towns of Fairfield, Swanton, and St. Albans Town." The nearest villages are St. Albans (4 miles), Fairfax (6 miles) and Highgate Center (8 miles).
What game lives on Fairfield Swamp WMA?
VFWD's sheet for the area names white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare and waterfowl. It does not count them; the WMU figures on this page are the nearest harvest numbers.
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Where these facts come from
- Boundary and acres: Vermont ANR land units (Wildlife Management Areas). Description: VFWD's WMA sheets, linked from its regional WMA pages.
- Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons; VFWD 2026 Vermont Hunting and Trapping Seasons. WMU harvest: VFWD 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report; VFWD 2025 Black Bear Harvest Report.
- Public land around it: 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. Highways and villages: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.