MONTPELIER, Vt. – Three public hearings will be held on March 23, 24 and 26 on Vermont's proposed 2015 moose hunting permits and moose hunting regulations.

A total of 225 regular firearms moose season permits and 40 archery moose season permits would be issued and changes in a moose hunting regulation are being proposed.

The board is considering a proposal presented by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department allocating permits in 13 of the state's 21 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs).

The number of permits would be reduced from last year in nine WMUs, and permits would be for bulls-only in all WMUs except C and E1 units.

"We recommended a reduction in permit numbers and a shift toward bulls-only permits in most of the units this year based on the biological data we collected on Vermont's moose, and our population estimates indicating moose densities remain below management goals in some areas," said biologist Cedric Alexander, Vermont's moose project leader. "It's the intent of this proposal to allow slow population growth in some regions while continuing to stabilize moose numbers elsewhere."

Proposed changes to the moose hunting regulation include:

• Allowing all Vermont resident U.S. military veterans to apply in a lottery of five moose hunting permits
  
• Antlered and antlerless moose are defined
  
• Crossbow is defined
  
• The use of a crossbow will be allowed
  
• A person who has held a moose hunting permit would now wait five years before applying again.
  
• A person who held a moose hunting permit could not be named a "subpermittee" for five years.
  
• A "guide" may not carry a firearm, muzzleloader or archery equipment while guiding.
  
• A handgun could be carried during archery season.
  
• Biological samples that must be brought to a checking station are defined.

Vermont's "archery-only" moose season will be held October 1-7. The regular moose season is scheduled for October 17-22.

The proposed 2015 moose hunt changes can be viewed by going to the Fish & Wildlife website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) and clicking on Law Enforcement and then Rules and Proposed Rules. Comments on the proposal can be sent to ANR.FWPublicComment@state.vt.us.

Three Fish and Wildlife Board public hearings also are being held to provide an opportunity for comment on the proposed moose season. The hearings will be held from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the following locations:

March 23 Barre – Spaulding High School, 155 Ayers St., Barre, VT 05641

March 24 Brighton – Brighton Elementary School, 825 Railroad St., Island Pond, VT 05846

March 26 Castleton – Kehoe Conservation Camp, 636 Point of Pines Road, Castleton, VT 05735

The proposed permit numbers will be voted on at one more Board meeting in April.

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Contact: Mark Scott, 802-777-4217 or mark.scott@state.vt.us
Cedric Alexander, moose project leader, 802-751-0105
Scott Darling, 802-786-3862