A preliminary report by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department indicates that hunters took more than 15,000 deer during this year’s seasons.
The buck harvest is down slightly from 2020 but is close to the state’s ten-year average. The antlerless deer harvest is expected to be down considerably compared to 2020 but similar to previous years.
Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader, says some decline was expected because they have been working “to reduce deer numbers in some areas to keep them in balance with the available habitat.” He says hunting conditions were also challenging and the pandemic also likely affected the results.
The final tally is expected to be on the department’s website in early March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contents © copyright 2021. All rights reserved.