Vermont’s resident Canada goose hunting season will be held Sept. 1-25 to help control Vermont’s resident Canada goose population prior to the arrival of Canada geese migrating south from Canada according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. (VTF&W).
The season will be open statewide with a daily bag limit of five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of Vermont.
A second Canada goose hunting season for resident and migrant birds will be held Oct. 12-Nov. 10 with a daily bag limit of three Canada geese in the Lake Champlain Zone and Interior Vermont Zone.
In the Connecticut River Zone, the second Canada goose season will be Oct. 9-Nov. 11, and Nov. 27-Dec. 22 with a daily bag limit of two Canada geese.
For a third year, a late Canada goose season will be held targeting resident birds. Within the Lake Champlain and Interior zones, the season will be held from Dec. 1 to Jan. 19, with a five-bird daily bag limit. The season will run Dec. 23 to Jan. 11 in the Connecticut River zone and applies only to the lands of the zone, not Connecticut River waters.
A hunting license is required, and a waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry current federal and Vermont duck stamps. Federal stamps are sold at post offices, federal refuges and on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website (fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php). Vermont is not one of the states where you can buy an electronic federal duck stamp, but you can purchase one from any state that sells them.
Vermont duck stamps can be added to your hunting license at: vtfishandwildlife.com and through license agents. The hunter must sign the federal duck stamp.
All migratory game bird hunters must also be registered with the Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.). This can be done on VTF&W website or by calling toll-free 1-877-306-7091. After providing some basic information, you will receive your annual H.I.P. registration number, which you then need to record on your hunting license.
A printable copy of migratory bird hunting regulations can be downloaded from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.” A printed version is available from license agents and post offices.
