by: Ben Breen
Posted: Aug 4, 2025 / 10:35 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 4, 2025 / 10:35 PM EDT
SHARE https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/plan-released-to-protect-rutland-county-hunting-trapping-wildlife/
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermont officials want to make sure that two wildlife areas near Castleton are kept up for hunters and anglers in the generations to come.
Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) on Monday announced a plan for the next 20 years to manage the Birdseye and Blueberry Hill Wildlife Managment Areas (WMAs), an area totaling 4,725 acres in the towns of Castleton, Ira, and Poultney.Vermont reminds new hunters to take basic education courses
Birdseye WMA contains thousands of acres of forest as well as Birdseye Mountain, a known nesting site for peregrine falcons, while the smaller Blueberry Hill WMA is home to white-tailed deer in the winter.
In public comments from meetings in 2017 and 2021 about the plan, some concerns are echoed again and again. One member of the public said they learned to hunt in the area with their family, and many comments reflect the desire to preserve the area for hunting. “Less grouse and deer at this property than in the past,” reads one comment.
Up Next – William Byron on his NASCAR Cup win at Iowa Speedway
Other comments mention access for bikes, horses, and hiking, and birdwatchers talk about their experiences seeing warblers and falcons. Some comments are long, with suggestions for forest and wildlife management. Others are much shorter: “Keep it wild”; “Beautiful place”; or even just “It makes me happy.”Fish & Wildlife reminds the public to leave fawns alone
The finished plan includes requirements to keep at least 3% of the area as young forest. With its thinner trees and less deep shade, young forest is important for animals including moose, wild turkeys, foxes, and white-tailed deer; meanwhile, a full 25% of the area will be allowed to mature into old forest, with trees often older than 150 years old and fallen trees on the ground. Old forests are home to martens and barred owls while also serving to store carbon from the atmosphere.
Commissioner of Forest, Parks and Recreation Danielle Fitzko said the plan is a reflection of the philosophy of Vermont Conservation Design. “Sustainable forest management,” she said, “through both active tools like well-planned timber harvests and passive strategies that allow nature to shape the forest over time, will guide how we care for these lands.”
Exposing the Big Game 