Rock River Wildlife Management Area: hunting, map and deer in WMU B
Rock River Wildlife Management Area is 416 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 Rock River WMA sheet, last edited 9/30/22. Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons.
Fish and Wildlife landState parkNational wildlife refugeRock River WMAWMU lineHighway
| Size | 416 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, woodcock 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 | Highgate Springs (next to it), Highgate Center (4 mi) and Swanton (4 mi) |
What is Rock River WMA like?
VFWD describes where it is: "Rock River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 416-acre parcel located in Highgate in northwestern Vermont." Of the land: "This WMA is a mix of emergent wetland and floodplain forest bisected by the Rock River." On its past: "Like nearby Swanton and Alburg, Highgate was a center of Abenaki activity." On its animals: "In the swamp, one may find white-tailed deer, red fox, raccoon and gray squirrel." The sheet names white-tailed deer, woodcock and waterfowl among its wildlife. On parking: "Primary access is from a small parking lot and boat put-in on the east side of Route 7 by the Rock River Bridge."
Quoted from VFWD's Rock River WMA sheet. VFWD notes its WMA maps are a general guide, not survey boundaries.
When can you hunt Rock River 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 | 416 | 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 Rock River WMA?
Highways within five miles: I-89, VT 78, VT 207, US 7 and VT 235. Nearest villages: Highgate Springs (next to it), Highgate Center (4 miles), Swanton (4 miles) and Alburgh (11 miles). Other WMAs nearby: Carmans Marsh (6 miles), Maquam Bay (7 miles), Mud Creek (9 miles).
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Rock River WMA?
Yes. VFWD's sheet says Rock River 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 Rock River 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 Rock River WMA?
VFWD: "Rock River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 416-acre parcel located in Highgate in northwestern Vermont." The nearest villages are Highgate Springs (next to it), Highgate Center (4 miles) and Swanton (4 miles).
What game lives on Rock River WMA?
VFWD's sheet for the area names white-tailed deer, woodcock 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.