Deer, turkey, and bear hunting is already underway for the season and Vermont’s traditional 16-day rifle season opens November 12 and runs through November 27.
As always, it is incumbent on hunters and non-hunters alike to be respectful of each other and to keep each other safe. That means wearing orange or red when in the woods.
We all share a lot of the woods, those who hunt and those who don’t. Hikers, bikers, horseback riders and dog walkers play in the woods. Some hunt and some don’t.
Traditionally, the Mad River Riders ask that their members take those 16 days off from using trails where hunting is also allowed. That is a great idea and a respectful gesture.
Not everyone hunts and not everyone agrees that people should harvest wild game – and that’s a fair position. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still respect those who do hunt by trying to ensure that they are successful.
Those who are in the woods hunting are securing food to feed their families through the winter and spring and summer. They are helping manage wildlife populations, keeping herds healthy and providing feedback to the state on what they harvest.
Like all of us in the woods, they’re also enjoying the woods, the quiet, the scent of fallen leaves and watching the sunrise.
Deer hunting is already underway in Vermont for archers (October 1-November 11 and November 28-December 15). Muzzleloaders seeking antlerless deer will be active October 27-30, traditional rifle season opens November 12 and runs through November 27. That is followed by muzzleloader for bucks which runs December 3-11.
Bear hunters have been out since September and will be active until November 12 and then through the first nine days of the regular deer season.
To the extent possible, let’s leave the woods to them and seek other places to recreate for ourselves and our dogs during these active hunting periods.
