MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) The way Vermonters are allowed to hunt deer may dramatically change next year. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is proposing what officials there say could be the biggest one-time change to deer hunting in the state's history.
Fish and Wildlife officials say there aren't enough hunters and there are too many deer. They say that the overabundant deer population can have drastic ecological impacts on forests, like decimating forests, and officials are starting to see some of that happening here. Now, they want to stop the problem before it's too late by attracting more hunters.
For the Helfants, hunting is a family affair.
"I found it very fun to do something with the family, go out back and shoot our bows," said Grace Helfant, 13.
Helfant is practicing her skills on a regular bow but says she and her younger brothers prefer to hunt with crossbows. Under Vermont's current rules, they aren't allowed to. Right now, only those over the age of 50 or those with a disability can.
Helfant says she's excited by the possibility of being able to put her crossbow to use.
"Because it's just a lot easier for me and I'm sure for my brother, too, to be able to shoot with a crossbow because we can't pull back the length we need," she said.
Allowing crossbows for all ages is just one of the many changes Vermont Fish and Wildlife is suggesting in a new Deer Management Rule Change Proposal. Their goals are to keep existing hunters happy, attract more new hunters and provide additional hunting opportunities.
One notable recommendation is to reduce the annual limit for antlered bucks from two to one. The hope is this will increase the number of older, larger-antlered bucks, which tend to be more desirable.
"In keeping hunters interested in hunting and more of them out in the field, we need to offer them, you know, some things that they're interested in and provide what they want in their hunting experience," said Nick Fortin, a deer biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife.
Fortin says that piece of the proposal is also designed to shift the focus of hunting from bucks to does, in an attempt to reduce the antlerless deer population.
"Now if they want to kill a deer, their better chance is to go out and shoot an antlerless deer," he explained.
Fortin says only 25,000 of the available 27,000 antlerless deer permits were purchased this past muzzleloading season. And year after year, only about 15 percent of those permits actually get filled.
"Basically, we're trying to harvest a certain number of deer and it takes a certain number of permits to get there. And if we can't get rid of all of our permits, we're not harvesting as many deer as we need to be harvesting," Fortin said.
Some of the other recommendations include extending the archery season so it runs from early October through the end of muzzleloader season and expanding archery zones to where deer are overabundant.
Public hearings will be held on the proposed changes across the state at the end of March and the beginning of April. Click here for more details on the hearings.
https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Vermont-wildlife-officials-consider-major-deer-hunting-changes-506655471.html
