Hunters prepare for major rule change in Vermont’s deer rifle hunting season

BARRE — Shoppers at R&L Archery knew what they were here for: a hunting license, a box of ammo, synthetic deer urine and, for some, a homemade pie. 

Vermont’s 16-day rifle deer hunting season begins Saturday. For Joe Sanborn, that means hundreds of customers through the door Friday at R&L Archery, the Barre outdoor sports store he manages. 

“It’s always busy, it’s always hectic,” Sanborn said. “Opening the door, we had six trucks in the yard ready to go.”

The state expects to see between 60,000 and 65,000 hunters out over the next two weeks, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Deer Project Leader Nick Fortin. 

Some hunting regulations have changed this year, as they do every five years, he said. One rule change has left some seasoned hunters excited, and others wary. 

For the first time in 39 years, Vermont hunters can shoot antlerless and female deer during the regular season. Previously, antlerless deer harvest was limited to other seasons, such as archery and muzzleloader. 

State surveys indicated that a majority of hunters under 55 support the change, and a plurality of hunters 65 and older oppose the policy, according to previous reporting by VTDigger. 

“Some hunters are really nervous about it. They’re afraid we’re going to kill too many deer, or maybe they have safety concerns,” Fortin said in an interview Thursday. “We actually do need to kill more deer in some areas, but we also want to be sensitive to those concerns so that we don’t lose this tool again because we need this.”

The state’s deer population is relatively stable, but areas like the Champlain Valley, the Connecticut River Valley and the Barre-Montpelier area have more deer than can be supported by the ecosystem, according to Fortin. An overabundance of deer could mean increased deer-car collisions, tick-borne disease transmission and declining stability of forests from overgrazing, according to Penn State’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

That’s what led to the Fish and Wildlife Board’s 2025 decision to issue 12,050 antlerless deer permits for the rifle season by lottery in August. Fortin said he estimates this will lead to about 3,000 female and antlerless deer killed during the regular season. Anyone with a hunting license can shoot a buck, but there are limits on how many total deer one hunter may harvest during the season. 

“This is one that we’re hoping will work long term, but we’re being really conservative because it is such a big social change,” Fortin said, speaking to the number of permits issued.

Sanborn said he’s been answering questions about the rule change all year and expects the discussion to continue through next year. 

“Every time they change anything, it gets people a little confused for a bit until we all settle into the new normal,” he said. “As avid as a lot of our customers are with their hunting seasons, the last thing they want to do is jeopardize that.” 

Melvin Pierson, who was shopping at R&L, said he hunts in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. He was at the store to buy gloves, a camouflage cushion seat and his Maine and Vermont licenses. He said he hasn’t killed a doe in 10 years. He won’t be breaking that streak this season. 

“I think if they’re going to shoot does, then they should shoot them earlier in the season,” Pierson said in the aisles of R&L Archery. “I’m a little against shooting them late season when they’re already bred.” Peak deer mating season occurs in November.

For Brandon Kennedy, another R&L shopper, the rule change is not a major concern. Leaving the shop Friday having purchased a new shotgun and other last-minute supplies such as ammunition, Kennedy said he assumes the state does its due diligence.

Vermont made seven other deer hunting rule changes this year, but most won’t impact the majority of hunters, Fortin said. Changes included moving youth and novice weekend — when new hunters and their mentors get to go out early — and allowing hunters who qualify to receive a second buck tag. 

Dylan Sickles sat outside R&L Archery all morning Friday. He’s not a deer hunter, but a fish culture operations manager for the state’s Fish & Wildlife Department. And he’s a scout master for Boy Scouts of America’s Troop 1. Rifle season for Sickles means selling pies. 

Sickles and Assistant Scout Master Joe Cannon had sold 37 pies by 12:30 p.m. The pies, baked by the Boy Scouts and their mothers and sold for $20 apiece, had brought in $740 to fund summer camps and other yearly activities. Sickles and Cannon knew many shoppers by name. 

Just like fishing does for him, Sickles said deer hunting creates community. “It’s all about your buddies,” he said.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Hunters prepare for major rule change in Vermont’s deer rifle hunting season.