Vermont Archery Deer Season Lengthened
By Gary Moore
Vermont’s new deer hunting regulation includes 16 additional days of archery hunting opportunity to help manage deer in eight targeted areas. High deer numbers in these areas are damaging property and native vegetation. Most are developed areas where deer cannot be effectively managed with firearms.
Archery deer hunting in these expanded archery zones begins September 15, and only antlerless deer may be taken in these areas until the regular archery deer season begins on October 1. Like in the regular archery season, an archery license is required, and all archery season regulations apply.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website has information and maps of the following eight expanded archery zones in the deer hunting section.
Areas with the extra days are the City of Newport and parts of the towns of St. Johnsbury and Waterford.
Also towns around Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington and Brattleboro, the City of Montpelier and all of Grand Isle County.
Commissioner Jason Batchelder said, “This addition to Vermont’s deer regulation came about because of the many complaints we are receiving from property owners about deer damage to gardens and ornamental vegetation as well as due to motor vehicle collisions with deer. Most lands in expanded archery zones are privately owned, and some areas are not huntable, so we strongly encourage hunters to obtain landowner permission before hunting in these zones.”
“We also urge hunters to check with city and town offices, because some municipalities have ordinances limiting or prohibiting the discharge of archery equipment.”
New Hampshire State Wildlife Action Plan Approved By Feds
New Hampshire’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a roadmap for conserving all wildlife in the state, has been recently updated to set renewed priorities for the next ten years. The plan guides state agencies, conservation organizations, towns, landowners, and others in their efforts to protect land and manage wildlife. The plan includes actions to address the needs of threatened and endangered wildlife and priority habitats, as well as keep common species common.
The revised plan is now available online at www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/nh-state-wildlife-action-plan.
The plan includes 138 wildlife species of greatest conservation need. Some species, such as bald eagles, are doing so well they are no longer on the list. Others, such as several shorebird species, were added because of steep population declines due to threats such as habitat loss and degradation. Due to the success of multi-state cooperative projects for species such as Blanding’s turtles, there is a large emphasis on regional cooperation to tackle wildlife issues in the decade ahead.
The 2025 New Hampshire State Wildlife Action Plan was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on September 30 and was officially approved on December 16, 2025.
Funded by State Wildlife Grants through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Action Plan is a roadmap for conservation in New Hampshire, providing decision makers with important tools for restoring and maintaining critical natural habitats.