Vermont Deer Processing Videos: Field Dressing, Skinning, and Butchering

white tailed deer

In Vermont, deer hunting is a way to harvest a sustainable, natural food source.

Making the most of the meals provided by deer taken in hunting seasons starts with processing them quickly and correctly.

To guide hunters, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) has three online videos demonstrating how to process deer.

Finding the videos is easy on the Fish and Wildlife website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com). Click on “Hunt” and then “From Field to Freezer.”

The educational videos are titled Field Dressing Your Deer, Skinning a Deer and Butchering a Deer.

“Correctly processing game can make a big difference in the taste of the meat,” said Nicole Meier, an information and education specialist with the department. “Taking the time to do it correctly assures that you and your family will have many enjoyable meals ahead.”

source: Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

2014 Vermont Spring Snow Goose Season

In Vermont, a special spring season will open for snow geese as a result of a special management action referred to as a “Conservation Order” allowed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and adopted by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board.

The measure was adopted at the recommendation of federal and state wildlife scientists in response to concerns about a growing number of snow geese across North America.

Eight states in the Atlantic Flyway (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont) will hold a Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order in 2014.

The Vermont 2014 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order will occur statewide from March 11 through April 25. A 2014 Spring Snow Goose Harvest Permit is required and is available at no charge on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website (vtfishandwildlife.com). Hunters may also call the Essex Junction Office (802-878-1564) to request a permit.

In addition to this permit, hunters will need a 2014 Vermont hunting license, 2014 Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification, a 2013 federal migratory hunting stamp, and a 2014 Vermont migratory waterfowl stamp.

Hunters can register with the Harvest Information Program by going to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department website or by calling toll free 1-877-306-7091 during normal business hours.

Hunters who obtain a permit will be required to complete an online survey after April 25 and prior to May 16, 2014, whether they hunted or not. Hunters without access to the internet may obtain a copy of the survey by calling 802-878-1564.

According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife, snow geese typically move through the Champlain Valley in late March and early April. 

source: Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

Vermont Deer Hunting

Vermont is home to a healthy white-tailed deer population, which could lead to opportunites for hunters this season.

“Vermont’s deer herd has benefitted from two relatively mild winters in a row,” according to Vermont deer biologist Adam Murkowski. “Mild winter weather coupled with a healthy and robust deer population mean herd growth is expected in many regions of the state this year, and hunters can choose between several different deer hunting opportunities starting in October and continuing into December.”

The 2012 Vermont Deer Harvest Report, available from the Fish and Wildlife Department’s web site (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) has a wealth of information to help plan a hunt, including the number of deer taken in each town.

The "2013 Vermont Hunting, Fishing & Trapping LAWS and GUIDE" explains all of Vermont’s hunting regulations and includes maps showing public hunting areas. The guide is available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife website and where licenses are sold.   

Vermont hunting Licenses are available on Fish and Wildlife’s web site and from license agents statewide.

source: Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department