MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the August 14 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 on September 17, 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 & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “Knowing early if they’ve won, will help them plan their hunting this fall.”

“They can follow a link on our home page to go to the listing of permit winners.”

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

A total of 23,000 December muzzleloader season antlerless permits are authorized for use in 18 of Vermont’s 21 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) which is estimated to result in 3,541 antlerless deer being taken.

“The winter of 2019 was severe in central and northeastern Vermont, and in response the permit allocation is 51 percent less than 2018 in those areas,” said Nick Fortin, deer project leader for the Fish and Wildlife Department. “Elsewhere, the permit allocation is similar to 2018 as little change is expected in the deer population in those 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.”

The permits that were not allocated because not enough people applied for them in the lottery are in WMUs A - B - F1 - F2 - L - M - K - N - O and Q and will be available on September 23 on a first come first serve basis through license agents, district Fish and Wildlife offices and on www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

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Media Contacts: Nick.Fortin@Vermont.Gov 802-786-3860

Mark.Scott@Vermont.Gov 802-777-4217