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Vermont Hunting Laws

Vermont sets no minimum caliber for deer rifles or handguns — a handgun is legal anywhere a rifle is — but caps autoloading rifles at a 6-round magazine (with a carve-out for .22 rimfire autoloaders) and bans laser sights. Suppressors are explicitly legal for hunting, and hunter orange, unusually, is not required by law.

Rules checked against Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department regulations, August 30, 2026.

At a Glance

Wildlife Agency
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Regulations Year
2026
Coverage
Verified against primary sources
Verified Rules on File
11
Rules Pending Review
0
Zones With Special Rules
0
Official regulations → Verify with Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department →

Check a Cartridge in Vermont

Results update as you choose.

Pick a state, species, and weapon — add a cartridge for a full check.

Sourced Rules

Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it.

Rifle

3 rules
White-tailed / Mule Deer

Vermont sets no minimum caliber for deer rifles. Unlike most states, there is no stated centerfire requirement, and the magazine-capacity rule explicitly carves out '.22 caliber rifle using rimfire cartridges' rather than banning rimfire outright.

"A rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, bow and arrow, or crossbow may be used during this season."

Regular Season — Methods · verified Aug 2026

White-tailed / Mule Deer

Autoloading (semi-automatic) centerfire rifles are capped at a 6-cartridge magazine capacity while hunting. Autoloading .22 rimfire rifles are explicitly exempt from this cap. Fully automatic firearms (machine guns) are prohibited outright.

"It is illegal while hunting in Vermont to use, carry, or have in your possession a machine gun of any kind or description or an autoloading rifle with a magazine capacity of over 6 cartridges, except a .22 caliber rif..."

Machine Guns and Autoloading Rifles and Suppressors · verified Aug 2026

Wild Turkey

Rifles may not be used or even carried while turkey hunting. Only shotguns, bow and arrow, or crossbow are legal methods of take.

"Rifles shall not be used or carried by any person while hunting turkeys."

Legal Methods of Taking · verified Aug 2026

Shotgun

1 rule
Wild Turkey

Turkey shot must be No. 2 or smaller (finer) — shot larger than No. 2 may not be used or even possessed while turkey hunting.

"Only number 2 and smaller shot shall be used or possessed"

Legal Methods of Taking · verified Aug 2026

Handgun

1 rule
White-tailed / Mule Deer

A handgun may be used for deer anywhere a rifle is legal — no separate caliber requirement is stated. Archery-license holders may also carry (but not shoot game with) a handgun while bowhunting.

"Wherever a rifle may be used in hunting, a handgun is permitted."

Handguns · verified Aug 2026

Muzzleloader

3 rules
White-tailed / Mule Deer

Muzzleloading rifles and pistols must have a minimum bore diameter of .43 caliber.

"must have a minimum bore diameter of 0.43 inches"

§ 37, Definition of Muzzleloader Firearm (citing 10 V.S.A. § 4001(33)) · verified Aug 2026

White-tailed / Mule Deer

Any traditional or modern ignition style is allowed — flintlock, caplock, matchlock, in-line, or wheellock — as long as the muzzleloader is a single-shot, single-barrel firearm loaded from the muzzle (not the breech, without tools).

"an ignition system of traditional or modern flintlock, caplock, matchlock, in-line or wheellock style"

§ 37, Definition of Muzzleloader Firearm · verified Aug 2026

White-tailed / Mule Deer

Muzzleloading rifles/smoothbores need at least a 20-inch barrel; muzzleloading pistols need at least a 10-inch barrel. Only one muzzleloading firearm may be carried while hunting deer during the muzzleloader seasons, and no bow/crossbow may be carried alongside it.

"a single-shot, single-barrel rifle or smoothbore firearm with a minimum barrel length of 20 inches ... or a single-shot pistol with a minimum barrel length of 10 inches"

§ 37, Definition of Muzzleloader Firearm · verified Aug 2026

All Weapons

3 rules
All species

Laser sights are illegal for hunting in Vermont. Casting an artificial light to spot, locate, or take wildlife is also prohibited (with a narrow treed-raccoon exception).

"Laser sights are illegal for hunting."

Lights/Laser Sights · verified Aug 2026

All species

Vermont statute expressly allows a suppressor for taking game — one of only five exceptions to a general ban on suppressor use in the state — with no species or land-type limit. The authorization was temporary when it passed in 2022 but the sunset was removed in 2024, so it is permanent. It attaches no federal paperwork condition to the hunter: the federal registration references in the same section apply only to manufacturers and importers. Using a suppressor outside those exceptions is a $50 fine per offence.

Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices

"(c) A person shall not use a gun suppressor in the State, except for use by: ... (5) a person taking game as authorized under 10 V.S.A. § 4701."

13 V.S.A. § 4010(c)(5) · verified Oct 2026

All species

Vermont is one of the few states with no legal hunter-orange requirement — VFWD recommends but does not mandate wearing at least a fluorescent orange hat and vest.

"Hunter orange is not required by law in Vermont but wearing it might save your life."

Fluorescent Orange · verified Aug 2026

Federal Rules That Apply in Every State

These federal requirements apply in Vermont on top of state law.

Federal law: only USFWS-approved nontoxic shot may be used — or even possessed — while hunting waterfowl, coots, and aggregate-bag species. 50 CFR § 20.21(j)(1)–(3)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds are limited to 3 shells total (magazine + chamber) with a one-piece plug; limited light-goose and September Canada goose season exceptions exist. 50 CFR § 20.21(b)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds may be no larger than 10 gauge. 50 CFR § 20.21(a)
Federal law prohibits taking migratory birds with a rifle, pistol, or fully automatic firearm. 50 CFR § 20.21(a)
On Waterfowl Production Areas and designated National Wildlife Refuge lands, possessing shot other than approved nontoxic shot is prohibited; individual refuges may impose stricter rules. 50 CFR § 32.2(k)

Sources

10 App. V.S.A. § 37 — Deer Management Rule Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board · retrieved August 30, 2026
13 V.S.A. § 4010 — Gun suppressors Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online) · retrieved October 11, 2026
2026 Vermont Spring and Fall Turkey Seasons Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department · retrieved August 30, 2026
2026 Vermont White-tailed Deer Seasons Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department · retrieved August 30, 2026

How to Use This Page

Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it. Rules marked needs review come from summaries rather than the regulation text, and never produce a green answer in the checker. The checker's energy figures are typical factory loads, so where a rule sets an energy or bullet-weight floor, check your own load's rating. This page covers equipment only, not seasons, tags or local ordinances, and it isn't legal advice. The current Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department regulations are the final word.