MONTPELIER — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking hunters to participate in its annual deer hunter effort and sighting survey.

The survey asks hunters to record how many hours they hunted and how many deer, moose, bears, or other wildlife they saw on each day of the regular November deer season. This information helps the department evaluate how hunting pressure and the number of these animals varies throughout the season and around the state.

The easiest way to complete the survey is to use the new Deer Hunting Log feature in the Vermont Outdoors mobile app. The app allows hunters to track their effort and wildlife sightings during the regular season as well as during the archery and muzzleloader seasons. It also offers several other features, including a check station locator tool and an online harvest reporting tool. Online reporting is only available during the archery and muzzleloader seasons. It is not allowed during the regular season. Vermont Outdoors is available through the App Store or Google Play.

A web-based version of the survey is available on Fish and Wildlife’s website, vtfishandwildlife.com. The department also mailed survey cards to several thousand randomly selected hunters, as it has done each year since 1999.

“The information we get from this survey is critically important for the management of deer and other wildlife in Vermont,” said Nick Fortin, Fish and Wildlife’s deer and moose project leader.  “If we hear from more hunters, our population estimates will be more reliable, and our management will be more effective.”