Vermont’s State-wide Free Ice Fishing Day is Saturday
Gary Moore
January 29, 2026
Vermont’s Free Ice Fishing Day is held annually on the last Saturday in January. The day is geared toward giving new ice anglers an opportunity to try ice fishing before purchasing equipment or a fishing license, but any angler may ice fish on any waterbody open to ice fishing statewide without a license on Free Ice Fishing Day.
To celebrate Free Ice Fishing Day, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is holding an Ice Fishing Festival at Elmore State Park in Elmore. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages as well as families with kids.
The Eye On The Sky team predict that it will be cold, but why not dress the family warmly and head to Elmore for some fun and a chance to learn.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife staff, as well as instructors from Vermont’s Let’s Go Fishing Program, will be on-hand to teach ice fishing skills. These include knot tying, baiting and using ice fishing rods, tip-ups and other specialized ice fishing gear, and most importantly, how to stay safe on the ice. They will also discuss fishing regulations and fish identification.
Fish and Wildlife staff will operate a fish fry station, serving up samples of locally caught Vermont fish, as well as cooking up participants’ catch, and there will be plenty of hot cocoa on hand.
“Ice fishing is one of the most accessible forms of fishing and can be a great way to introduce people to how much fun fishing can be,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder. “This festival will demonstrate that ice fishing isn’t just about catching fish. It’s also a great way to spend some time outdoors with friends and family. You can skate, sled, make a snow fort, and have a cookout – all while waiting for the flags on your tip-ups to signal when you’ve caught a fish.”
Fishing equipment will be loaned for this fun day on the ice, or participants may bring their own.
For more information, go to Upcoming Events on Vermont Fish and Wildlife website, https://vtfishandwildlife.com/. Registration can be completed online in advance, or people may register when they arrive, although registering in advance will enable participants to get on the ice faster.
Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather, and ice cleats are strongly recommended.
Vermont Deer Season Totals “Remarkably Average In 2025”
The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2025 hunting seasons will not be available until early March, but the Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 17,700 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison.
Hunters took nearly 9,700 bucks, which was up slightly from 2024 (9,356) but very close to the previous 3-year average of 9,608. The antlerless deer harvest was a little over 8,000, which was up from the previous 3-year average of 7,598.
“Season totals were remarkably average in 2025,” said Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader. “Most seasons had total deer harvests that were within 1-2 percent of the previous 3-year average. The only exception was the December muzzleloader season, when consistent snow cover across the state contributed to an increased harvest.”
The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin.
The 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on Fish and Wildlife’s website in early March. Beginning in late March, the department will be holding informational hearings to share biological information and to listen to any information people wish to share.
Vermont’s Statewide Conservation Plan Is Open For Public Comment
The adorable Southern bog lemming, delicate small whorled pogonia orchid, mysterious lake sturgeon and humble wood turtle may not seem to have much in common. But, all four are classified as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” (SGCN) in a newly-drafted update to Vermont’s Wildlife Action Plan, which is now available for public comment.
To qualify for special biodiversity conservation funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, every state is required to have a Wildlife Action Plan. The plans are written by each state’s fish and wildlife agency and revised every decade. You may remember I wrote last week that New Hampshire’s plan was recently approved by the feds.
Vermont is now in the final stages of updating its Wildlife Action Plan for the next 10 years, following an extensive review and drafting process in partnership with top wildlife experts from around the Northeast.
“Over the past two years our biologists have teamed up with outside experts including faculty from the University of Vermont, Middlebury and other colleges, and scientists from our NGO partners to update Vermont’s SCGN list and identify new conservation strategies,” said Dr. Rosalind Renfrew, who leads the department’s Wildlife Diversity Program. “Now, a new draft of Vermont’s 10-year Wildlife Action Plan is ready for public input.”
“Our new draft Wildlife Action Plan outlines ways to give all of Vermont’s species their best shot in the face of threats like climate change,” said Renfrew. “Now, we’re inviting Vermonters to let us know if what we’ve developed lines up with their vision for biodiversity conservation in our state.”
Vermont’s draft 2025-2035 SWAP can be reviewed on the department’s website. Public comments can be submitted via online form through February 27, 2026, on the department’s website or directly at the following web address: https://forms.office.com/g/megnWGwpZG
The department will also offer presentations on key elements of the draft plan with opportunity for public comment at a series of in-person and virtual meetings to be held: February 5, U32 Middle and High School, 930 Gallison Hill Road, Montpelier; February 10, Orleans Lake Region Union High School, 317 Lake Region Road, Orleans and January 22, Edward Kehoe Conservation Camp, 636 Point of Pines Road, Castleton.
A virtual presentation will be held February 17 via Microsoft Teams or phone conference call at 802-828-7667, conference ID 999 402 398#.
All sessions will begin promptly at 6 p.m. and end by 8 p.m. In the event of cancelations due to weather, the department will issue updated dates and locations on its website.
Bits and Pieces
Dylan Saladino, 26, of Jacksonville, Vermont is the lucky winner of the 2025 Vermont Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License Lottery. Saladino will be entitled to hunt and fish in Vermont for free for the rest of his life. He was drawn as the winner from among 18,523 Lifetime License Lottery tickets purchased in 2025. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department holds the drawing annually.
Sales of the $2 tickets brought net sales of $37,046 to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to support the department’s mission to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.
A person can enter Vermont’s License of a Lifetime Lottery by adding the $2 entry fee when they buy their license on the Fish and Wildlife Department website at vtfishandwildlife.com. They can also enter by applying at statewide wherever Vermont hunting, fishing and trapping licenses are sold, or with a printable application available on the department website. There is no limit on the number of times a person may enter during the year.
***
Vermont’s Nongame Wildlife Fund is essential to the conservation and restoration of some of Vermont’s most at-risk wildlife, from bumblebees to butterflies, and mussels to mammals. The Nongame Fund checkoff option on the Vermont state income tax form makes donating to the fund easy and impactful.
Vermont’s Nongame Tax Checkoff helped to recover species that were once on the brink of extinction in Vermont, like the common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon. The bald eagle was one of the most recent species to be removed from Vermont’s list of endangered species. The Nongame Wildlife Fund continues to support nest monitoring to ensure that loon, peregrine and eagle populations remain robust.
***
The Northeast Kingdom Skeet & Sporting Clays Club will hold the 26th Annual Vermont State Sporting Clays Championship July 30-August 2.
NEKSC secretary/treasurer Bob Durocher said the shoot is filling fast and urges shooters to register now at Scorechaser.
***
Ice-in was declared at New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee last Tuesday, January 13.
Dave Emerson, of Emerson Aviation, made the call. The declaration means all five ports visited by the M/S Mount Washington are covered with ice. It does not mean all ice is safe.
Last year ice-in was January 14, in 2024 February 9 and 2023 February 19.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac the January Records and Averages.
Warmest: 28.8°F in 2023 Coldest: 6.4°F in 1970
Wettest: 6.80 inches in 1979 Snowiest: 47.0 inches in 1954
Parting Shots
This coming weekend marks 58 years since Tet. January 30-31, 1968. It will never be forgotten by those of us who were serving in Vietnam at the time.
The massive offensive by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong shocked the U.S. and changed the outlook on the war to many back home.
***
Time, I need time. I have a pile of books to read and just can’t seem to find enough time to make much of a dent in the pile. By the time I read what I need to for work, there is little time for pleasure reading.
I have had two books about Moosilauke since fall. They are on the top of the pile.
***
It seems like we have had a lot of ice this winter making our road and the areas I plow around the buildings very slippery, especially when covered in an inch or so of snow.
Earlier this season I fell walking back from the tractor shed, landing hard on my left side. My hip, elbow and shoulder hurt, but nothing was broken. Now weeks later my hip still is tender and I can’t lie on my left side comfortably.
I am practicing the Inuit shuffle much of the time to prevent another fall.
***
I hope you got to hear my interview with Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Nick Fortin, the deer project leader, on WYKR last Thursday. If you did not you can still listen by going to https://www.wykr.com/ and clicking on shows, then The Outdoor Edge. You can also go to the WYKR app or listen wherever you listen to podcasts.
Nick is a Derby native who grew up hunting and fishing in the Kingdom which he knows well.
He returned to Vermont ten years ago to become the deer project leader for Vermont Fish and Wildlife. We talked a lot about the condition of the deer herd and the habitat, both of which are what the new regulations are based on. The totals for the fall season and the new regulations, both explained above, also were among the things we discussed.
So much about deer in Vermont is emotional that it is often difficult to get a clear consensus. Being a native, Nick understands how strongly some people’s views are and he knows the history going back to the 70s and early 80s when doe seasons were such a hot topic. As one who was involved in the decision making back then, first as a Fish and Game Board member and then as Commissioner, I feel Nick is the right person for the job.
Nick is also the moose project leader so we spent some time talking about moose and the devastation ticks have had on the population.
***
I am distraught to learn that Plymouth State University is closing the Museum of the White Mountains.
A letter from the University President and Provost explained, “Due to ongoing State of New Hampshire budget reductions impacting higher education, Plymouth State University must close the Museum’s current standalone building. This decision was not made lightly. While the physical museum space is changing, we want to be clear about what is not changing: the collections, and the University’s stewardship of the Museum of the White Mountains - these will remain intact.”
They added, “Plymouth State University will retain the entire MWM collection. Works currently housed in the Museum will be carefully relocated to the Spinelli Archives in Lamson Library.”
Regular readers of this column know I visited the museum several times a year to listen to speakers and to see the new curated exhibits that highlighted so much about the history of the White Mountains.
***
I sincerely hope the agreement announced last Friday between New Hampshire and Aurora turns out to be as good as Governor Ayotte says it is.
Once the dust settles and all those affected get to see the whole document and digest what it means they will hopefully see it as the best deal they could get and that it will be enforced.
Logging and good forest management in the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Forest is critical to sustaining the economy of the region and continuation of a way of life that is endangered in many parts of the county.
Pittsburg, Clarksville and Stewartstown are most affected but the impacts are felt so much further.
I have never lived there but have hunted, fished, hiked and even worked there for more than 65 years. It is a place I love as do so many of you.
***
I heard from Piermont resident Tad Nunez with a complaint I want to echo.
He wrote, “In recent ice fishing outings this season to Streeter Pond, French Pond, Clark Pond, Tewsbury Pond, and Mascoma Lake I have encounter an alarming amount of cigarette butts and an assorted amount of crap discarded into ice fishing holes!
Ice fishing holes are not garbage bins!”
He stated, “I retired with 42 years of management of open public lands and still cherish our open lands, rivers, ponds, and lakes.”
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
To celebrate Free Ice Fishing Day, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is holding an Ice Fishing Festival at Elmore State Park in Elmore. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages as well as families with kids.
The Eye On The Sky team predict that it will be cold, but why not dress the family warmly and head to Elmore for some fun and a chance to learn.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife staff, as well as instructors from Vermont’s Let’s Go Fishing Program, will be on-hand to teach ice fishing skills. These include knot tying, baiting and using ice fishing rods, tip-ups and other specialized ice fishing gear, and most importantly, how to stay safe on the ice. They will also discuss fishing regulations and fish identification.
Fish and Wildlife staff will operate a fish fry station, serving up samples of locally caught Vermont fish, as well as cooking up participants’ catch, and there will be plenty of hot cocoa on hand.
“Ice fishing is one of the most accessible forms of fishing and can be a great way to introduce people to how much fun fishing can be,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jason Batchelder. “This festival will demonstrate that ice fishing isn’t just about catching fish. It’s also a great way to spend some time outdoors with friends and family. You can skate, sled, make a snow fort, and have a cookout – all while waiting for the flags on your tip-ups to signal when you’ve caught a fish.”
Fishing equipment will be loaned for this fun day on the ice, or participants may bring their own.
For more information, go to Upcoming Events on Vermont Fish and Wildlife website, https://vtfishandwildlife.com/. Registration can be completed online in advance, or people may register when they arrive, although registering in advance will enable participants to get on the ice faster.
Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather, and ice cleats are strongly recommended.
Vermont Deer Season Totals “Remarkably Average In 2025”
The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2025 hunting seasons will not be available until early March, but the Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 17,700 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison.
Hunters took nearly 9,700 bucks, which was up slightly from 2024 (9,356) but very close to the previous 3-year average of 9,608. The antlerless deer harvest was a little over 8,000, which was up from the previous 3-year average of 7,598.
“Season totals were remarkably average in 2025,” said Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader. “Most seasons had total deer harvests that were within 1-2 percent of the previous 3-year average. The only exception was the December muzzleloader season, when consistent snow cover across the state contributed to an increased harvest.”
The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin.
The 2025 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on Fish and Wildlife’s website in early March. Beginning in late March, the department will be holding informational hearings to share biological information and to listen to any information people wish to share.
Vermont’s Statewide Conservation Plan Is Open For Public Comment
The adorable Southern bog lemming, delicate small whorled pogonia orchid, mysterious lake sturgeon and humble wood turtle may not seem to have much in common. But, all four are classified as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” (SGCN) in a newly-drafted update to Vermont’s Wildlife Action Plan, which is now available for public comment.
To qualify for special biodiversity conservation funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, every state is required to have a Wildlife Action Plan. The plans are written by each state’s fish and wildlife agency and revised every decade. You may remember I wrote last week that New Hampshire’s plan was recently approved by the feds.
Vermont is now in the final stages of updating its Wildlife Action Plan for the next 10 years, following an extensive review and drafting process in partnership with top wildlife experts from around the Northeast.
“Over the past two years our biologists have teamed up with outside experts including faculty from the University of Vermont, Middlebury and other colleges, and scientists from our NGO partners to update Vermont’s SCGN list and identify new conservation strategies,” said Dr. Rosalind Renfrew, who leads the department’s Wildlife Diversity Program. “Now, a new draft of Vermont’s 10-year Wildlife Action Plan is ready for public input.”
“Our new draft Wildlife Action Plan outlines ways to give all of Vermont’s species their best shot in the face of threats like climate change,” said Renfrew. “Now, we’re inviting Vermonters to let us know if what we’ve developed lines up with their vision for biodiversity conservation in our state.”
Vermont’s draft 2025-2035 SWAP can be reviewed on the department’s website. Public comments can be submitted via online form through February 27, 2026, on the department’s website or directly at the following web address: https://forms.office.com/g/megnWGwpZG
The department will also offer presentations on key elements of the draft plan with opportunity for public comment at a series of in-person and virtual meetings to be held: February 5, U32 Middle and High School, 930 Gallison Hill Road, Montpelier; February 10, Orleans Lake Region Union High School, 317 Lake Region Road, Orleans and January 22, Edward Kehoe Conservation Camp, 636 Point of Pines Road, Castleton.
A virtual presentation will be held February 17 via Microsoft Teams or phone conference call at 802-828-7667, conference ID 999 402 398#.
All sessions will begin promptly at 6 p.m. and end by 8 p.m. In the event of cancelations due to weather, the department will issue updated dates and locations on its website.
Bits and Pieces
Dylan Saladino, 26, of Jacksonville, Vermont is the lucky winner of the 2025 Vermont Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License Lottery. Saladino will be entitled to hunt and fish in Vermont for free for the rest of his life. He was drawn as the winner from among 18,523 Lifetime License Lottery tickets purchased in 2025. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department holds the drawing annually.
Sales of the $2 tickets brought net sales of $37,046 to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to support the department’s mission to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.
A person can enter Vermont’s License of a Lifetime Lottery by adding the $2 entry fee when they buy their license on the Fish and Wildlife Department website at vtfishandwildlife.com. They can also enter by applying at statewide wherever Vermont hunting, fishing and trapping licenses are sold, or with a printable application available on the department website. There is no limit on the number of times a person may enter during the year.
***
Vermont’s Nongame Wildlife Fund is essential to the conservation and restoration of some of Vermont’s most at-risk wildlife, from bumblebees to butterflies, and mussels to mammals. The Nongame Fund checkoff option on the Vermont state income tax form makes donating to the fund easy and impactful.
Vermont’s Nongame Tax Checkoff helped to recover species that were once on the brink of extinction in Vermont, like the common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon. The bald eagle was one of the most recent species to be removed from Vermont’s list of endangered species. The Nongame Wildlife Fund continues to support nest monitoring to ensure that loon, peregrine and eagle populations remain robust.
***
The Northeast Kingdom Skeet & Sporting Clays Club will hold the 26th Annual Vermont State Sporting Clays Championship July 30-August 2.
NEKSC secretary/treasurer Bob Durocher said the shoot is filling fast and urges shooters to register now at Scorechaser.
***
Ice-in was declared at New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee last Tuesday, January 13.
Dave Emerson, of Emerson Aviation, made the call. The declaration means all five ports visited by the M/S Mount Washington are covered with ice. It does not mean all ice is safe.
Last year ice-in was January 14, in 2024 February 9 and 2023 February 19.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac the January Records and Averages.
Warmest: 28.8°F in 2023 Coldest: 6.4°F in 1970
Wettest: 6.80 inches in 1979 Snowiest: 47.0 inches in 1954
Parting Shots
This coming weekend marks 58 years since Tet. January 30-31, 1968. It will never be forgotten by those of us who were serving in Vietnam at the time.
The massive offensive by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong shocked the U.S. and changed the outlook on the war to many back home.
***
Time, I need time. I have a pile of books to read and just can’t seem to find enough time to make much of a dent in the pile. By the time I read what I need to for work, there is little time for pleasure reading.
I have had two books about Moosilauke since fall. They are on the top of the pile.
***
It seems like we have had a lot of ice this winter making our road and the areas I plow around the buildings very slippery, especially when covered in an inch or so of snow.
Earlier this season I fell walking back from the tractor shed, landing hard on my left side. My hip, elbow and shoulder hurt, but nothing was broken. Now weeks later my hip still is tender and I can’t lie on my left side comfortably.
I am practicing the Inuit shuffle much of the time to prevent another fall.
***
I hope you got to hear my interview with Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist Nick Fortin, the deer project leader, on WYKR last Thursday. If you did not you can still listen by going to https://www.wykr.com/ and clicking on shows, then The Outdoor Edge. You can also go to the WYKR app or listen wherever you listen to podcasts.
Nick is a Derby native who grew up hunting and fishing in the Kingdom which he knows well.
He returned to Vermont ten years ago to become the deer project leader for Vermont Fish and Wildlife. We talked a lot about the condition of the deer herd and the habitat, both of which are what the new regulations are based on. The totals for the fall season and the new regulations, both explained above, also were among the things we discussed.
So much about deer in Vermont is emotional that it is often difficult to get a clear consensus. Being a native, Nick understands how strongly some people’s views are and he knows the history going back to the 70s and early 80s when doe seasons were such a hot topic. As one who was involved in the decision making back then, first as a Fish and Game Board member and then as Commissioner, I feel Nick is the right person for the job.
Nick is also the moose project leader so we spent some time talking about moose and the devastation ticks have had on the population.
***
I am distraught to learn that Plymouth State University is closing the Museum of the White Mountains.
A letter from the University President and Provost explained, “Due to ongoing State of New Hampshire budget reductions impacting higher education, Plymouth State University must close the Museum’s current standalone building. This decision was not made lightly. While the physical museum space is changing, we want to be clear about what is not changing: the collections, and the University’s stewardship of the Museum of the White Mountains - these will remain intact.”
They added, “Plymouth State University will retain the entire MWM collection. Works currently housed in the Museum will be carefully relocated to the Spinelli Archives in Lamson Library.”
Regular readers of this column know I visited the museum several times a year to listen to speakers and to see the new curated exhibits that highlighted so much about the history of the White Mountains.
***
I sincerely hope the agreement announced last Friday between New Hampshire and Aurora turns out to be as good as Governor Ayotte says it is.
Once the dust settles and all those affected get to see the whole document and digest what it means they will hopefully see it as the best deal they could get and that it will be enforced.
Logging and good forest management in the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Forest is critical to sustaining the economy of the region and continuation of a way of life that is endangered in many parts of the county.
Pittsburg, Clarksville and Stewartstown are most affected but the impacts are felt so much further.
I have never lived there but have hunted, fished, hiked and even worked there for more than 65 years. It is a place I love as do so many of you.
***
I heard from Piermont resident Tad Nunez with a complaint I want to echo.
He wrote, “In recent ice fishing outings this season to Streeter Pond, French Pond, Clark Pond, Tewsbury Pond, and Mascoma Lake I have encounter an alarming amount of cigarette butts and an assorted amount of crap discarded into ice fishing holes!
Ice fishing holes are not garbage bins!”
He stated, “I retired with 42 years of management of open public lands and still cherish our open lands, rivers, ponds, and lakes.”
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
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