Rochester Wildlife Management Area: hunting, map and deer in WMU J1
Rochester Wildlife Management Area is 237 acres of Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department land in Windsor County, inside WMU J1. VFWD's sheet says it is open to regulated hunting, trapping, 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 1,035 deer in WMU J1 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary: ANR. Description: VFWD's Rochester WMA sheet, last edited 9/30/22. Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons.
Fish and Wildlife landNational forestState forestRochester WMAWMU lineHighway
| Size | 237 acres (ANR) |
|---|---|
| County | Windsor |
| Wildlife Management Unit | WMU J1 |
| VFWD region | Southwest |
| Open to (VFWD) | regulated hunting, trapping, hiking and wildlife viewing |
| Game named on VFWD's sheet | white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare |
| Legal buck, 2026 | At least one antler with two or more points 1 inch or longer |
| Deer taken in WMU J1, 2025 | 1,035 (521 bucks) |
| Nearest villages | Rochester (3 mi), Randolph (4 mi) and Bethel (8 mi) |
What is Rochester WMA like?
VFWD describes where it is: "The WMA is located in the town of Rochester and borders on the Rochester-Braintree town line." Of the land: "Rochester WMA is completely forested with red and sugar maple, beech, and yellow birch." On its past: "The land in Rochester was so rough that communities and transportation were limited." On its animals: "In this northern hardwoods habitat, expect to find sign of white-tailed deer, black bears, moose, red foxes, coyotes, fishers, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, and porcupines." The sheet names white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare among its wildlife.
Quoted from VFWD's Rochester WMA sheet. VFWD notes its WMA maps are a general guide, not survey boundaries.
When can you hunt Rochester WMA in 2026?
Seasons follow WMU J1: 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 J1 | 237 | 1,035 | 521 | 57 | 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 Rochester WMA?
Highways within five miles: VT 100, VT 12A, VT 12, VT 125 and VT 73. Nearest villages: Rochester (3 miles), Randolph (4 miles), Bethel (8 miles) and South Lincoln (14 miles). Other WMAs nearby: Riley Bostwick (3 miles), Les Newell (12 miles), Kibling Hill (18 miles).
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Rochester WMA?
Yes. VFWD's sheet says Rochester WMA is open to regulated hunting, trapping, hiking and wildlife viewing. Seasons and the legal buck rule follow WMU J1: 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 Rochester WMA in?
WMU J1. Hunters took 1,035 deer in WMU J1 in 2025, 521 of them bucks, and 57 bears (VFWD).
Where is Rochester WMA?
VFWD: "The WMA is located in the town of Rochester and borders on the Rochester-Braintree town line." The nearest villages are Rochester (3 miles), Randolph (4 miles) and Bethel (8 miles).
What game lives on Rochester WMA?
VFWD's sheet for the area names white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare. 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.