Vermont’s State-wide Free Ice Fishing Day is Saturday
By Gary Moore
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.