The newest Vermont Hunting Seasons Schedule has been released, so prepare for your hunting trips now!
Vermont is known for its high population of black bears and white-tail deer, which makes it a popular state for big game hunting. In 2024, the majority of the state’s 73,000 resident hunters participated in deer hunting during the fall season. Also, the state has more than 800,000 acres of state public land open to hunting activities.
This guide will detail key dates, rules, and licenses for different hunting seasons in Vermont, covering different ranges of game. Keep reading and get ready for a thrilling year of hunting in the state.
White-Tailed Deer Hunting Seasons
| Season | Date | Bag Limit |
| Archery | Oct. 1 – Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 – 15, 2025 | One legal buck |
| Youth Deer Weekend | Oct. 25 – 26, 2025 | One deer(either sex) |
| Novice Weekend | Oct. 25 – 26, 2025 | One legal buck |
| Muzzleloader Antlerless | Oct. 30- Nov. 2, 2025 | / |
| Muzzleloader | Dec. 6 – 14, 2025 | One legal buck |
| Regular Season | Nov. 15 – Nov. 30, 2025 | One legal buck |
🔔Notes:
- No more than 4 deer in a year, and only one may be a legal buck.
- In the Muzzleloader Antlerless season, a muzzleloader license and an antlerless permit are required for hunters.
- What is a legal buck:
”In Wildlife Management Units C, D1, D2 E1, E2, G, I, L, M, P, and Q, a legal buck is a deer with a minimum antler length of three inches.
In Units A, B, F1, F2, H, J1, J2, K, N, and O, a legal buck is a deer with at least one antler with two or more points that are one inch in length or longer.”
Vermont Black Bear Seasons
| Season | Date | Bag Limit |
| Early | Sept. 1 – Nov. 14, 2025 | One bear per year |
| Late | Nov. 15 – Nov. 23, 2025 | |
| Hunting With Dogs | Sep. 1 – Nov. 23, 2025 (Residents) | |
| Sep. 15 – Nov. 23, 2025 (Non-residents) |
🔔Notes:
- To participate in the Early Bear Season, hunters need a specific Early Bear Season tag.
- Hunters can only harvest one bear per year.
- Using bait is not allowed in this season.
- Hounds can be used, but certain conditions must be met, including having a bear-dog permit, using a maximum of six dogs, and not using commercial guiding.
- Nonresident hunters with hounds can start hunting on Sept. 15.
Vermont Moose Seasons
| Season | Date |
| Archery | October 1 – 7, 2025 |
| Regular | October 18 – 23, 2025 |
- Moose hunting is assigned through a lottery system. Only hunters who have been chosen are eligible to hunt moose.
- The resident application fee is $10. The nonresident application fee is $25and Fees are nonrefundable.
Vermont Turkey Seasons
| Season | Date | Limit | Zone |
| Youth Weekend and Novice Weekend | Apr. 26 – 27, 2025 | One bearded turkey | Statewide |
| Spring | May 1 – 31, 2025 | Two bearded turkeys | Statewide |
| Fall (Archery only) | October 4 – 25, 2025 | One of either sex | Statewide |
| Fall (Archery or Shotgun) | October 25 – Nov. 2, 2025 | One of either sex | WMUs B, D, G, H, I, J, L, M, O, P, and Q |
| Fall (Archery or Shotgun) | October 25 – Nov. 9, 2025 | One of either sex | WMUs F, K and N |
- A turkey license is necessary along with a hunting license.
- Only specific weapons like a shotgun, bow and arrow, or crossbow are allowed for turkey hunting.
- Use of electronic calls, bait, live decoys, cooperative drives, and dogs in the spring season is prohibited.
- Hunters must promptly attach the appropriate tag to a turkey they have taken.
Vermont Small Game Seasons
Cottontail Rabbit/Snowshoe Hare
Dates:
- Sep. 28 – Mar. 9, 2025 ( WMUs D & E remain open until Mar. 31)
- Sep. 27, 2025 – Mar. 8, 2026 ( WMUs D & E remain open until Mar. 31)
Bag Limit: 3 daily; 6 possession
Gray Squirrel
Date: Sep. 1 – Dec. 31, 2025
Bag Limit: 4 daily; 8 possession
Check more: Small Game Hunting Guide For Beginners
Vermont Upland Game Birds
Ruffed Grouse
Date: Sep. 27 – Dec. 31, 2025
Bag Limit: 4 daily; 8 in total
Woodcock
Date: To be announced
Bag Limit: 3 daily; 9 in total
Pheasant Seasons
Date: Sep. 27 – Dec. 31, 2025
Bag Limit: 2 daily; 4 in total
Crow Seasons
Date: Jan. 17 – Apr. 11, 2025, and Aug. 22 – Dec. 19, 2025
Note: Crow may only be hunted on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
*For Quail and Chukar Partridge, there are no closed seasons, so you can hunt them year-round.
Waterfowl Seasons
The waterfowl seasons vary in different hunting zones. Here are the details of the date schedules and bag limits to follow:
| Species | Lake Champlain Zone | Interior Vermont Zone | Connecticut River Zone |
| Ducks, Coots and Mergansers | Oct. 11 – Nov. 2 Nov. 22 – Dec. 28 |
Oct. 11 – Dec. 9 | Oct. 13 – Nov. 11 Nov. 27 – Dec. 26 |
| Scaup | Oct. 11 – Nov. 2 Nov. 22 – Dec. 8 Dec. 9 – Dec. 28 |
Oct. 11 – Nov. 19 Nov. 20 – Dec. 9 |
Oct. 13 – Nov. 11 Nov. 27 – Dec. 26 |
| Canada Geese | Sept. 1 – Sept. 25 Oct. 11 – Nov. 9 Dec. 1 – Jan. 19 |
Sept. 1 – Sept. 25 Oct. 11 – Nov. 9 Dec. 1 – Jan. 19 |
Sept. 1 – Sept. 25 Oct. 13 – Nov. 11 Nov. 27 – Dec. 26 Dec. 27 – Jan. 15 |
| Snow Geese | Oct. 1 – Dec. 31 Feb. 26 – Mar. 10, 2026 Mar. 11 – Apr. 24, 2026 |
Oct. 1 – Dec. 31 Feb. 26 – Mar 10, 2026 Mar. 11 – Apr. 24, 2026 |
Oct. 13 – Nov. 11 Nov. 27 – Dec. 26 Mar. 11 – Apr. 24, 2026 |
| Brant | Oct. 11 – Nov. 9 | Oct. 11 – Nov. 9 | Oct. 13 – Nov. 11 |
| Woodcock and Wilson’s Snipe | Sept. 27 – Nov. 10 | ||
| Species | Daily Limit | Total Possession Limit |
| Ducks, Coots and Mergansers | 6 | 18 |
| Scaup | 1 | 3 |
| Canada Geese | Lake Champlain &Interior Vermont Zone: 8 Connecticut River Zone: 5 |
Lake Champlain &Interior Vermont Zone: 24 Connecticut River Zone: 15 |
| Snow Geese | 25 | No limits |
| Brant | 1 | 3 |
| Woodcock and Wilson’s Snipe | 3 | 9 |
| Mergansers | 5 | 15 |
| Coot | 15 | 45 |
Furbearer Seasons
Hunting Seasons
| Season | Date |
| Bobcat | Jan.10 – Feb. 7, 2025 |
| Red & Gray Fox | Oct. 25, 2025 – Feb. 8, 2026 |
| Raccoon | Oct. 11 – Dec. 31, 2025 |
| Muskrat | March 20 – April 19, 2025 |
| Coyote – Hunting with Dogs | Dec. 15 – Mar. 15, 2025 |
| Opossum, Skunk, Weasel, Coyote (no dogs), | Year-round |
| Skunk, Weasel, Beaver, Otter, Mink, Fisher, Marten, Lynx, Wolf, Eastern Mountain Lion |
No Open Season |
Trapping Seasons
| Season | Date |
| Mink, Skunk, Red & Gray Fox, Raccoon, Coyote, Opossum, Weasel |
Oct. 25 – Dec. 31, 2025 |
| Otter, Muskrat, Beaver | Oct. 25, 2025 – March 31, 2026 |
| Fisher | Dec. 1 – 31, 2025 |
| Bobcat | Dec. 1 – 16, 2025 |
| Marten, Lynx, Wolf | No Open Seasons |
Download this 2025 Vermont Hunting & Trapping Seasons|PDF to keep track of what season is on right now.
Important Hunting Regulations to Follow
Here are some rules to follow when hunting in this state:
Big Game Regulations
- If you plan to hunt turkey, bear, or deer with a bow or crossbow, carry proof that you held an archery license or finished a bowhunter education course (from Vermont or any other state). Keep that proof with your license in the field all the time.
- Tag big game animals immediately after you take them. Don’t wait.
- Must report your take within 48 hours to Vermont Fish & Wildlife (follow the agency’s reporting instructions).
- Do not use bait to hunt bears, deer, or any wild animal.
- Don’t use snares, traps, salt licks, jacks, or lights to take animals. Those methods are illegal.
- During deer archery season, do not carry a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader.
- You may use only a shotgun, bow, or crossbow to take turkeys. Do not carry or use a rifle while turkey hunting.
- You may not take more than four deer in a calendar year. Only one of those can be a legal buck (one antler at least 3 inches long).
- Hunting hours run from ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset. Stick to those times.
- Vermont does not legally require hunter orange, but we recommend wearing it anyway for your safety.
Waterfowl Hunting Regulations
- Before you go, register with the HIP (Harvest Information Program) to get your Vermont HIP number and always carry your hunting license and HIP number whenever you hunt.
- Do not use traps, snares, nets, crossbows, rifles, pistols, machine guns, explosives, poisons, fishhooks, or stun drugs. These are all banned.
- Only use shotguns that are 10-gauge or smaller. If your shotgun holds more than three shells, it needs a one-piece plug that you can’t remove without disassembling the gun.
- You may not hunt from a sink box, a moving motor vehicle, or an aircraft.
- You may not shoot from a motorboat or sailboat unless the motor is completely off and the boat is not moving.
- No live decoys, recorded calls, or electronic callers can be used.
- No baiting allowed. Don’t place any feed to attract the birds.
- If you give the birds to someone else, you must tag them with your signature, address, number of birds by species, and the date they were taken.
- Keep the head or one fully feathered wing attached when transporting birds from the field.
- For waterfowl and coots, always use non-toxic shot. Do not have loose or loaded lead shot with you when hunting these birds.
- You can place waterfowl blinds marked with your name and address starting the first Saturday in September. Make sure to remove them by May 15 of the following year.
Vermont Hunting Licenses
To hunt game animals in Vermont, in addition to hunting licenses, hunters may be required to obtain separate tags or permits.
Each year, Vermont holds lotteries for moose and antlerless deer hunting permits, as well as for a lifetime license.
If you are not chosen in the lottery, you can acquire permits for unallocated antlerless deer muzzleloader hunts in specific Wildlife Management Units for October 26-29 and December 2-10.
Permits are $10.00 and available for purchase online or at local license agents, first come, first served.
Here you can check whether are are chosen for a specific tag: Hunting Tag Lottery Winners. Or you can enroll in the lifetime license lottery: Enter the Lifetime License Lottery Online
There are different types of hunting licenses for residents and non-residents. Check the following chart to find detailed information.
| License Type | Resident | Non-Resident |
| Hunting | $28 | $102 |
| 5 Year Hunting | $134 | $504 |
| Youth Hunting (under age 17) | $8 | $25 |
| Combination (Fishing and Hunting) | $47 | $143 |
| 5 Year Combination-Fishing and Hunting | $229 | $709 |
| Youth Combination-Fishing and Hunting (under age 18) | $12 | $30 |
| Trapping | $23 | $305 |
| 5 Year Trapping | $109 | $1519 |
| Youth Trapping (under age 18) | $10 | $300 |
| Archery Deer(hunting license required) | $23 | $38 |
| Archery Deer Only(hunting license NOT required) | / | $75 |
| Turkey (hunting license required) | $23 | $38 |
| Muzzleloader Deer(hunting license required) | $23 | $40 |
| Early Season Bear (Sept. 1 – day before opening day of deer rifle season) | $5 | $15 |
| Small Game | / | $50 |
| Vermont Waterfowl Stamp | $7.5 | $7.5 |
| Permanent Licenses (66 or older) | $60 | / |
| Mentored Hunting License | $10 | $10 |
Who doesn’t need a hunting license? Note that if you are a landowner, you may hunt on your own property without a hunting or muzzleloader license in Vermont. For more details, check out our guide on: Can I hunt on my own land without a license?
Conclusion
Vermont offers a variety of thrilling hunting opportunities. As we conclude the Vermont Hunting Seasons in 2025, we hope you’re eager and motivated to engage in exciting hunting adventures in Vermont soon.
Remember to prioritize safety, respect the land, adhere to the regulations set by the Vermont State, and be a responsible and ethical hunter.
Happy hunting, and may your aim be accurate always!
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