A member of the state Fish and Wildlife Board plans to resign in protest over a proposal to increase the number of hunting permits issued for antler-less deer.
Keith Armstrong, of Pownal says he believes a plan to increase the permits from 500 to 3,200 in the Bennington County area is misguided.
The 14-member panel gave initial approval for the permit increase in April, but it still has to vote twice more on it.
Under the plan, the number of permits issued statewide would nearly double, from about 11,000 last year to 22,000 this year, and the bag limit would be boosted to three deer, up from two.
Shawn Haskell, a biologist with the state Fish and Wildlife Department, says the big increase in permits is necessary because of the growth of Vermont’s deer herd.