Vermont Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Service Members
A free license for a Vermont resident serving in the armed forces or on a 120-day homeland defense or state-side contingency operation, and resident-rate licenses for a service member stationed at a post in Vermont.
Also called: 10 VSA 4258, 10 VSA 4259, active duty, 120 days, homeland defense, resident rate, stationed in Vermont.
Two short sections in Title 10, chapter 105 handle serving members, and they point in opposite directions.
Section 4259 covers the Vermont resident who is away. Any resident of the State of Vermont who is serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, or is performing or under orders to perform any homeland defense or state-side contingency operation, or both, for a period of 120 consecutive days or more, may certify eligibility and obtain at no cost a hunting or fishing license or a combination hunting and fishing license.
The 120-day condition sits at the end of a sentence with two limbs and the Department reads it as attaching to the homeland defense and state-side contingency limb rather than to ordinary armed forces service. Certify and ask rather than assuming you are short of the period.
Two details in that section are easy to miss. The benefit applies only during the period the person is serving or is certified under the section, so it is not a veteran benefit and does not survive separation. But a person who obtains a license under the section may keep it until it expires whether or not they continue to serve until the expiration date, so a license drawn shortly before separation runs its full term.
Section 4258 covers the service member who is here. A license to hunt or fish shall be issued, upon payment of the resident license fee, to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who is on active duty and stationed at some military, air, or naval post, station, or base within the State. That is a price reduction rather than a free license, and the gap it closes is large: a nonresident hunting license is $102 against a resident's $28, and a nonresident combination license is $143 against $47.
Both sections work on self-certification. The member certifies that they are eligible under the section. Holders are subject to all State hunting and fishing laws and Board rules and to the same penalties and revocation as any other license holder.
Hunter education applies to a first-time hunting license in the usual way, and the free license under section 4259 does not carry the big game licenses that the disabled veteran license in this catalog carries.
No disability rating is involved in either section.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Vermont Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Service Members
Gate
Rule
Vermont residence plus current service
Section 4259 reaches a Vermont resident serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, or performing or under orders to perform a homeland defense or state-side contingency operation for 120 consecutive days or more. It applies only during service, so it is not a veteran benefit. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
Resident rates for a member stationed in Vermont
Section 4258 issues a hunting or fishing license at the resident fee to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty stationed at a military, air, or naval post, station, or base within Vermont, whatever their home of record.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.