Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally for the 2025 deer season will be a little over 17,700 deer.  Those deer will provide approximately 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison.

Hunters took nearly 9,700 bucks, which was up slightly from 2024 (9,356) but very close to the previous 3-year average of 9,608. The antlerless deer harvest was a little over 8,000, which was up from the previous 3-year average of 7,598. 

“Season totals were remarkably average in 2025,” said Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader.  “Most seasons had total deer harvests that were within 1-2 percent of the previous 3-year average. The only exception was the December muzzleloader season, when consistent snow cover across the state contributed to an increased harvest.”

The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat.  “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin.

Dos Equis brings back Manchester, VT resident as “Most Interesting Man in the World”

After nearly a decade, Dos Equis^® is bringing back The Most Interesting Man in the World^® with the legendary rallying cry, “Stay Thirsty, My Friends.” 

The return of the iconic advertising figure, portrayed by actor Jonathan Goldsmith, debuted with a new :45 commercial airing during Monday night’s college football title-game broadcast. The original campaign (2006-2016) became a cultural phenomenon – popping up in memes, appearing on late night shows, and generating social conversation – which helped to more than triple the size of the Dos Equis brand. 

According to the Happy Vermont blog, Actor Jonathan Goldsmith first visited Vermont as a teenager. At that time, the Bronx-born adolescent had no idea he would eventually make the Green Mountains his permanent home.

Back then, Goldsmith’s father had a farmhouse in Ghent, N.Y., and they often traveled to the Manchester area during summers to fly fish on the Battenkill River or visit Bennington Potters. Goldsmith’s memories of Southern Vermont remained etched in his mind and influenced his decision later on to return for good.

In 2010, at the height of his fame as “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign for Dos Equis, he and his wife, Barbara, decided to escape the spotlight’s glare and relocate to Manchester Center.

“When the campaign hit—I lost my anonymity. It turns out we have more friends here than we did living in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills for 45 years,” he says. “The very nature of life here is at a slower pace. Los Angeles is a mad traffic jam of noise. Here, we have more time for relationships, and that’s important.”

Not surprisingly for someone born in NYC and living in Southern California for decades, Goldsmith is no fan of Vermont winters. “I used to ski, but I don’t anymore. If you don’t ice fish—that to me is torture—there’s nothing much to do. I read a lot. The winter here is long. We sleep as long as possible and like to go out for lunch,” he told Happy Vermont.

The long-form commercial can be viewed HERE.

Reduce pesticides – A Vermont environmental organization has published a plan to reduce widespread pesticide use throughout Vermont. 

As part of the plan, the Vermont Natural Resources Council proposes

• expanding data collection to establish a clear baseline of pesticide contamination in surface and groundwater, 
• phasing out the most harmful pesticides, including those linked to cancer, neurological harm, and ecosystem damage, 
• promoting integrated pest management practices so pesticides are used as a last resort, 
• reducing pesticide use in schools, on state property, and in other public spaces, including allowing municipalities greater authority to restrict pesticide use locally, and 
• shifting primary regulatory oversight of pesticides away from the Department of Agriculture to the Agency of Natural Resources, with support from the Department of Health.