WMU P, Vermont

Rolling hardwood hills and mixed northern hardwood-softwood forest typical of central Vermont's piedmont region. Orange County sits east of the Green Mountain spine, with elevations ranging from valley floors around 400 feet up to 1,800-foot ridgelines. Habitat is a mosaic of mature maple-beech-birch forest, regenerating cuts, wetland edges, and working farm fields providing year-round food sources. Stream corridors draining into the Connecticut River watershed create productive travel corridors for deer and bear. The landscape transitions from higher-elevation conifer stands on north-facing slopes to productive hardwood ridges and agricultural valleys that concentrate deer activity especially in fall.

low to moderate

WMU P allows spike horn harvest — any deer with at least one antler 3 inches or longer is legal, a more liberal standard than antler-point-restriction units. Antlerless permits are issued by lottery; allocations vary annually based on population surveys and winter severity. Under 2026 regulations, antlerless permits may be used during regular rifle season (not just muzzleloader seasons as previously required). Hunters may now hold up to two antlerless permits simultaneously provided they are for different WMUs, with one obtained via lottery and a second available for purchase if unallocated permits remain.

DEER: Archery season typically opens in early October; regular (rifle) season runs for 16 days starting the second Saturday of November; muzzleloader season follows in late November through early December, with a second antlerless muzzleloader window in December. Buck rules allow spike horn harvest in WMU P. Antlerless permits distributed by lottery; 2026 rules allow use during rifle season. BEAR: Vermont black bear season is fair-chase only (no bait, no hounds). Fall bear season aligns with the archery and rifle deer seasons, typically running September through mid-November. Bag limit is one bear per year. Bears are distributed throughout WMU P's forested terrain. TURKEY: Spring season opens with a youth/novice weekend in late April followed by regular season May 1-31; fall turkey season runs concurrent with early archery deer season in October. Bag limit is one turkey per season. WMU P hardwood ridges and field edges provide classic Vermont turkey habitat. MOOSE: Vermont moose are managed by lottery permit as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. WMU P is in central Vermont and may be included in a moose management zone; permit numbers are extremely limited. Hunters seeking moose should check the current VTFWD moose permit zone maps, as the Northeast Kingdom WMUs (A-D) receive the most permits.

Groton State Forest provides one of Vermont's largest contiguous public hunting blocks, offering solitude and quality deer habitat. The spike horn harvest rule gives hunters in WMU P more flexibility than restricted units. Default open-access to unposted private land vastly expands the huntable landscape. The unit sits in a productive deer-density zone with reliable agricultural edges, and fall turkey hunting across hardwood ridges and mixed woodlots is excellent. Bear are present throughout the unit given central Vermont's forested terrain.