Wild Branch Wildlife Management Area: hunting, map and deer in WMU D1
Wild Branch Wildlife Management Area is 409 acres of Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department land in Lamoille County, inside WMU D1. 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 1,742 deer in WMU D1 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary: ANR. Description: VFWD's Wild Branch WMA sheet, last edited 9/30/22. Seasons: VFWD 2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons.
Fish and Wildlife landWild Branch WMAWMU lineHighway
| Size | 409 acres (ANR) |
|---|---|
| County | Lamoille |
| Wildlife Management Unit | WMU D1 |
| VFWD region | Central |
| Open to (VFWD) | regulated hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing |
| Game named on VFWD's sheet | white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, 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 D1, 2025 | 1,742 (979 bucks) |
| Nearest villages | Albany (3 mi), Lowell (5 mi) and North Hyde Park (7 mi) |
What is Wild Branch WMA like?
VFWD describes where it is: "Wild Branch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the north central Vermont town of Eden along the Craftsbury town line." Of the land: "The WMA lies on the divide between the Wild Branch of the Lamoille River watershed and the Seaver Branch of the Black River watershed." "Elevations range from 2,185 feet in the northwest corner to 1,496 feet in the southeast corner." On its past: "The settlement of Eden began when the town was granted to several of the Green Mountain Boys." On its animals: "Game animals include white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, coyote, bobcat and snowshoe hare." The sheet names white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare and waterfowl among its wildlife. On parking: "The western portion of the WMA can be accessed from a developed parking lot on Albany Road where a large maintained field is located."
Quoted from VFWD's Wild Branch WMA sheet. VFWD notes its WMA maps are a general guide, not survey boundaries.
When can you hunt Wild Branch WMA in 2026?
Seasons follow WMU D1: 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 D1 | 409 | 1,742 | 979 | 120 | 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 Wild Branch WMA?
Highways within five miles: VT 100, VT 14 and VT 118. Nearest villages: Albany (3 miles), Lowell (5 miles), North Hyde Park (7 miles) and Irasburg (9 miles). Other WMAs nearby: East Hill (10 miles), Avery's Gore (11 miles), Runaway Pond (12 miles).
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Wild Branch WMA?
Yes. VFWD's sheet says Wild Branch WMA is open to regulated hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Seasons and the legal buck rule follow WMU D1: 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 Wild Branch WMA in?
WMU D1. Hunters took 1,742 deer in WMU D1 in 2025, 979 of them bucks, and 120 bears (VFWD).
Where is Wild Branch WMA?
VFWD: "Wild Branch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the north central Vermont town of Eden along the Craftsbury town line." The nearest villages are Albany (3 miles), Lowell (5 miles) and North Hyde Park (7 miles).
What game lives on Wild Branch WMA?
VFWD's sheet for the area names white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, ruffed grouse, woodcock, snowshoe hare and waterfowl. It does not count them; the WMU figures on this page are the nearest harvest numbers.
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 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.