Hunters in the Northeast Kingdom could be seeing some new regulations this year. A public hearing has been set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife to hear comments on the changes to turkey and moose hunting regulations. These changes stem from Vermont's big game management plan that was recently adopted.

Samuel James a hunting and fishing guide said, "Yeah it would make those two seasons harder to hunt, the moose would already be spooked and it would be a greater challenge to take a moose."

Moose hunting and archery season is from October 2nd through the 9^th, and has been proposed with fifty hunting permits. Also a regular season from October 16th through the 22nd with 765 hunting permits, extending the current moose season.

Bill Engelmann a NEK guide said, "That probably will help the people doing guiding and stuff like that because it will give them an extra week to earn money guiding."

However having an archery season before the regular one, could scare some moose away, which could put a damper in hunter's attempts to keep the moose population under control.

Engelmann, went on to say, "It'll make the moose a lot harder for the people doing the regular season because the moose are going to be spooked."

An increase in moose population can cause harm to drivers as well as the local forests.

James said, "They're devastating a lot of the region out there it's not just the region they're hitting log trees the scaring occurs from the stripping the bark...decreases the value of the logs.

An increase in the moose population could mean danger for drivers and an increase in moose collisions, some local roads to be careful of include RT. 5 from West Burke to Barton, and RT. 2 to Maine, as well as RT. 114 to Island pond."

Some safety tips to keep in mind when on the roads are to always slow down if a moose is spotted. Moose are typically roaming in the early morning and at dusk, the eyes don't always reflect; beware of moose on the side of the roads because they could run out at any time, and finally a moose will not always run when a vehicle is headed towards them.

The meeting on the proposed regulations will be held on May 19^th, at the Pavilion Building in Montpelier.