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Dispatch / 11.02.26· Agencies & Hunting ·Vermont

Vermont Opens 16-Day Regular Deer Season Nov. 14 With Antlerless Permit Rule

Only hunters holding an antlerless deer permit may take antlerless deer in the regular season, and every deer taken Nov. 14-29 must be reported in person, with no online option.

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Credit: Photo: ShenandoahNPS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Key Facts

  • Vermont's regular deer season runs 16 days, from Saturday, November 14, to Sunday, November 29.
  • Only hunters with an antlerless deer permit may take antlerless deer during the regular season.
  • Every deer taken November 14-29, archery deer included, must be reported in person. Online reporting is unavailable.
  • Vermont hunting licenses include a buck tag for the season and a late season bear tag for Nov. 14-22.
  • Fish and Wildlife staff run 14 biological check stations for deer taken November 14 or 15.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department said in a press release dated November 2, 2026, that the 16-day regular deer season begins Saturday, November 14 and ends Sunday, November 29.

New rules this year let hunters with an antlerless deer permit take antlerless deer during this season. Hunters without one cannot. Antlerless permits were distributed by lottery earlier this year. Vermont hunting licenses include a buck tag for the season and a late season bear tag for Nov. 14-22.

What counts as a legal buck depends on the Wildlife Management Unit, or WMU.

  • WMUs C, D2, E1, E2, G, I, L, M, P and Q. A legal buck has at least one antler of three inches or more.
  • WMUs A, B, D1, F1, F2, H, J1, J2, K, N and O. A legal buck has at least one antler with two or more points, each an inch long or longer.

Hunters must report all deer taken from November 14-29 in person at a big game reporting station, archery season deer included. Online reporting will not be available.

Hunters who get a deer on November 14 or 15 can help the department’s deer management program by reporting it at one of 14 biological check stations operated by Fish and Wildlife Department personnel:

  • Back Country Sports, St. Albans
  • West Enosburg Country Store, Enosburg Falls
  • Wright’s Sport Shop, Derby
  • The Concord Station, Concord
  • Maplefields, Plainfield
  • R&L Archery, Barre
  • Village Grocery & Deli, Waitsfield
  • Rack N Reel, New Haven
  • Keith’s Country Store, Pittsford
  • Middletown Springs Country Store, Middletown Springs
  • Singleton’s Store, Proctorsville
  • Windsor Fire Department, Windsor
  • Bennington Fish Hatchery, Bennington
  • Guilford Country Store, Guilford

Deer biologist Nick Fortin said the greatest numbers of deer remain in western regions and other valley areas, while the Green Mountains and Northeast Kingdom have fewer but often larger deer. He urged hunters to wear fluorescent orange “to help maintain Vermont’s very good hunting season safety record.”

Hunters who skip a biological station are asked to provide a tooth from their deer. Tooth envelopes and removal instructions are at all big game reporting stations. Each tooth will be cross sectioned to determine the deer’s age, and the department will post results on its website next spring.

Sources

  1. 1 Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department · Vermont’s Regular Deer Season Starts Saturday, Nov. 14 · accessed 2026-11-02

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