[T]he Department of Fish and Wildlife is about halfway through the public comment period on newly proposed regulations on hunting in Vermont. Officials have heard from hundreds of hunters across the state — most in support of the changes, with a few voicing reservations about parts of the new rules.
The regulations are designed to better manage the state’s deer population, by limiting hunters from two bucks per year to one, and removing the three-inch requirement for antlers, so as to diversify the kinds of deer that are hunted, and keep the population healthier.
Louis Porter, the commissioner of the department, said some of the public hearings on the proposed changes have seen as many as 200 people attend. He said feedback has been mostly positive from hunters — though two areas have been met with some resistance.
First, Porter said, a change that would include novice adult hunters in the youth hunting weekend at the beginning of the season has seen some criticism from people worried about opportunities being taken away from youth hunters. But Porter said because of the state’s demographic shifts, youth hunting has been declining at a rate higher than the turnout they are expecting from novice adults.
The other primary concern Porter said he’s heard is over allowing crossbows for all ages during archery season. He said people worry that that crossbows provide an unfair advantage. But Porter said these regulation changes aren’t random — the department is just reacting to a declining number of hunters across the state, and trying to do all that they can to encourage hunting in Vermont to keep the deer population well managed.
“We are working with towns and residents of more urban and suburban areas to try get a better handle on the deer in their areas,” Porter said. “These areas have more deer on them than they can sustain and it’s important that we give hunters the opportunity to manage that population.”
He said one thing the department is always working on is increasing where people are allowed to hunt in Vermont. Porter said about a quarter of properties in Vermont are “posted” with signs saying people can’t hunt on them — but they are working on campaigns to lower that number, and to inform people about all the benefits, for the hunters and the state as whole, to have that land hunted.
Additional public hearings will be held in Bethel on May 21 and Hinesburg on June 4. The department is accepting feedback on the proposed regulations until June 12.
