Vermont's Resident Canada Goose Season Starts in September

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MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont's resident Canada goose hunting season will be held Sept. 1 through September 25 to help control Vermont's resident Canada goose population prior to the arrival of Canada geese migrating south from Canada according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
 
The season will be open statewide with a daily bag limit of five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of Vermont.
 
A second Canada goose hunting season for resident and migrant birds will be held October 14-November 27 with a daily bag limit of three Canada geese in the Lake Champlain Zone and Interior Vermont Zone. 
 
In the Connecticut River Zone, the second Canada goose season will be October 5-November 3, and November 22-December 21 with a daily bag limit of two Canada geese.
 
For a second year, a late Canada goose season will be held targeting resident birds.  Within the Lake Champlain and Interior zones, the season will be held from December 1 to January 6, with a five-bird daily bag limit.  The season will run December 22 to January 6 in the Connecticut River zone and applies only to the lands of the zone, not Connecticut River waters.
 
A hunting license is required, and a waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry current federal and Vermont duck stamps.  Federal stamps are sold at post offices, federal refuges and on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php.  Vermont is not one of the states where you can buy an electronic federal duck stamp, but you can purchase one form any state that sells them.
 
Vermont duck stamps can be added to your hunting license on Vermont Fish & Wildlife's website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) and through license agents.  The hunter must sign the federal duck stamp. 
 
All migratory game bird hunters must also be registered with the Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.).  This can be done on Vermont Fish and Wildlife's website or by calling toll-free 1-877-306-7091.  After providing some basic information, you will receive your annual H.I.P. registration number, which you then need to record on your hunting license.
 
A printable copy of migratory bird hunting regulations can be downloaded from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website under "Hunt" – "Waterfowl."  A printed version is available from license agents and post offices.  
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Coggins Auto Group Celebrates Five Years

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
BENNINGTON, Vt. — The family-owned Coggins Auto Group is celebrating five years of operations: Coggins Toyota of Bennington and Coggins Honda of Bennington, and Coggins of the Berkshires in nearby Massachusetts.
 
Mike Coggins purchased three dealerships — Honda, Toyota and Ford — in 2020 with a goal to restore trust and a "true sense of community-minded dealership culture." 
 
"My primary focus from day one was bringing back that connection to the region," Coggins had said back in 2021. "This area values real relationships. They want to know the people they're doing business with. We set out to rebuild that trust."
 
The Ford dealership was sold off in 2023 and Coggins of the Berkshires, with sales and services for used cars, opened the same year in Pittsfield, Mass. 
 
According to Coggins Auto Group, the dealerships had social media ratings of two stars when they were purchased; now all Coggins locations are garnering more than four stars in customer satisfaction reviews. 
 
"We sell cars, and we fix cars, and our goal is just to make our customers happy, and keep our employees happy, and that's what's made this really work these last few years," said General Manager Scott O'Connell.
 
Coggins Auto Group is also involved in events that benefit the community, including its popular annual charity golf tournament that funds local charities and organizations such as the Bennington Little League.
 
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