Muzzleloader antlerless deer permit winners announced

A lottery drawing for winners of Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permits was held Sept. 16. Results are posted on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department website.
A lottery drawing for winners of Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permits was held Sept. 16. Results are posted on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department website. Photo by John Hall, Vermont Fish & Wildlife

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the Aug. 12 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife website, www.vtfishandwildlife.com, to see if they won a permit.

Fish & Wildlife announced the winners Sept. 16, after conducting a randomized computer drawing. Permit winners are listed in two categories: regular lottery winners and landowners. Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by law from posting their land against hunting.

“Hunters can go to our website to find out if they are recipients of a muzzleloader season antlerless permit,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “Knowing early if they’ve won will help them plan their hunting this fall.”

Permit recipients will need to reprint their licenses, which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits. Paper “postcard” permits will not be sent in regular mail.

Antlerless permits were available for 19 of Vermont’s 21 wildlife management units and may be used during the muzzleloader seasons Oct. 29-Nov. 1, antlerless hunting by permit only, and Dec. 5-13.

“Yearling antler beam diameters, fawn weights, and other physical condition measures are declining or are below optimal levels in many areas, indicating that deer have exceeded the level their habitat can support long-term,” said Nick Fortin, Fish & Wildlife’s deer project leader. “Minimal population growth is expected in 2020, however, deer populations in 10 WMUs will be above their respective population objectives. The goal is to reduce deer populations in those areas while stabilizing populations in other areas.”

“Harvesting antlerless deer affords Vermont hunters the chance to secure locally sourced food for their families. It also helps the department balance the deer population with the available habitat.”

Permits are still available in WMUs A, B, F1, F2, I, J1, K, N, O, and Q because not enough people applied for them in the lottery. These permits may be purchased beginning Sept. 21 on a first come, first served basis through license agents, district Fish & Wildlife offices, and on www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

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