Vermont archers
October 31st, 2005 by Administrator
Vermont archers - For Vermont deer hunters who pursue their quarry with bow and arrow, the times are changing.
From 1995 through 2004, bow hunters killed an average of 4,413 deer during the October archery season. This year, archers aren’t likely to tag 1,000 animals.
Poor hunting weather in October and radical changes in the state’s deer hunting regulations conspired to produce one of the lowest bow kills in almost 20 years. The season was held Oct. 1-23 and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has been keeping a running tally of “deer harvest report cards.” The latest count, released Wednesday, puts the 2005 archery deer kill at just 718. That number might rise slightly as additional harvest report cards are sent in by weigh stations, but it’s not likely to increase dramatically.
The last time the archery season kill was fewer than 1,000 deer was 1988, when 627 animals were checked in.
“The results are down as planned,” said John Hall, spokesman for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. “We should remember we made several changes in regulations that will reduce the overall number of deer taken during the bow-hunting season.”
Throughout the year, the department and the 14-member Fish and Wildlife Board worked to make regulation changes that made spikehorn bucks off limits to hunters for the bow, rifle and muzzleloader seasons; reduced the number of deer a hunter may take in a year from three to two; and closed off a significant part of the state to antlerless hunting during bow season.
The regulation changes, which were requested by a number of hunters, aren’t the only reason the 2005 bow kill is off.
“One of the biggest factors we saw was the weather,” said Rick Sanborn of the R&L Archery shop in Barre. “The first weekend was very hot and the next two weekends of the season was raining. The circumstances were just not right this year.”
Another factor: Lots of wild food — particularly apples and acorns — dispersed the deer throughout the habitat.
“Look at it from the perspective of the deer,” said Sanborn, “and it’s pretty positive. They had lots of grass, an abundance of food and will be in great shape going into the winter.”
And in good shape for the next hunting seasons.
Vermont’s youth deer-hunting weekend will be held Saturday and Nov. 6 and the regular rifle season begins Nov. 12.Contact Matt Crawford at 651-4852 or mcrawfor@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com Bow-hunt totals A look at the number of deer killed by Vermont archers during recent bow and arrow seasons. This year’s total stands at 718.
20043,576
20033,911
20023,492
20013,642
20004,523
19995,296*
By Matt Crawford
Free Press Staff Writer