diff --git a/sys/dev/netmap/if_vtnet_netmap.h b/sys/dev/netmap/if_vtnet_netmap.h
index fc667738a1f5..0f686ed60788 100644
--- a/sys/dev/netmap/if_vtnet_netmap.h
+++ b/sys/dev/netmap/if_vtnet_netmap.h
@@ -39,52 +39,18 @@ vtnet_netmap_reg(struct netmap_adapter *na, int state)
 {
 	struct ifnet *ifp = na->ifp;
 	struct vtnet_softc *sc = ifp->if_softc;
-	int success;
-	int i;
-
-	/* Drain the taskqueues to make sure that there are no worker threads
-	 * accessing the virtqueues. */
-	vtnet_drain_taskqueues(sc);
 
+	/*
+	 * Trigger a device reinit, asking vtnet_init_locked() to
+	 * also enter or exit netmap mode.
+	 */
 	VTNET_CORE_LOCK(sc);
-
-	/* We need nm_netmap_on() to return true when called by
-	 * vtnet_init_locked() below. */
-	if (state)
-		nm_set_native_flags(na);
-
-	/* We need to trigger a device reset in order to unexpose guest buffers
-	 * published to the host. */
-	ifp->if_drv_flags &= ~(IFF_DRV_RUNNING | IFF_DRV_OACTIVE);
-	/* Get pending used buffers. The way they are freed depends on whether
-	 * they are netmap buffer or they are mbufs. We can tell apart the two
-	 * cases by looking at kring->nr_mode, before this is possibly updated
-	 * in the loop below. */
-	for (i = 0; i < sc->vtnet_act_vq_pairs; i++) {
-		struct vtnet_txq *txq = &sc->vtnet_txqs[i];
-		struct vtnet_rxq *rxq = &sc->vtnet_rxqs[i];
-
-		VTNET_TXQ_LOCK(txq);
-		vtnet_txq_free_mbufs(txq);
-		VTNET_TXQ_UNLOCK(txq);
-
-		VTNET_RXQ_LOCK(rxq);
-		vtnet_rxq_free_mbufs(rxq);
-		VTNET_RXQ_UNLOCK(rxq);
-	}
-	vtnet_init_locked(sc);
-	success = (ifp->if_drv_flags & IFF_DRV_RUNNING) ? 0 : ENXIO;
-
-	if (state) {
-		netmap_krings_mode_commit(na, state);
-	} else {
-		nm_clear_native_flags(na);
-		netmap_krings_mode_commit(na, state);
-	}
-
+	ifp->if_drv_flags &= ~IFF_DRV_RUNNING;
+	vtnet_init_locked(sc, state ? VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_ENTER
+	    : VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_EXIT);
 	VTNET_CORE_UNLOCK(sc);
 
-	return success;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 
@@ -245,15 +211,13 @@ vtnet_netmap_rxq_populate(struct vtnet_rxq *rxq)
 {
 	struct netmap_adapter *na = NA(rxq->vtnrx_sc->vtnet_ifp);
 	struct netmap_kring *kring;
+	struct netmap_slot *slot;
 	int error;
 
-	if (!nm_native_on(na) || rxq->vtnrx_id >= na->num_rx_rings)
+	slot = netmap_reset(na, NR_RX, rxq->vtnrx_id, 0);
+	if (slot == NULL)
 		return -1;
-
 	kring = na->rx_rings[rxq->vtnrx_id];
-	if (!(nm_kring_pending_on(kring) ||
-			kring->nr_pending_mode == NKR_NETMAP_ON))
-		return -1;
 
 	/* Expose all the RX netmap buffers we can. In case of no indirect
 	 * buffers, the number of netmap slots in the RX ring matches the
diff --git a/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnet.c b/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnet.c
index 68fcfb4cb9db..3ef8d90d5fa9 100644
--- a/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnet.c
+++ b/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnet.c
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ static int	vtnet_init_tx_queues(struct vtnet_softc *);
 static int	vtnet_init_rxtx_queues(struct vtnet_softc *);
 static void	vtnet_set_active_vq_pairs(struct vtnet_softc *);
 static int	vtnet_reinit(struct vtnet_softc *);
-static void	vtnet_init_locked(struct vtnet_softc *);
+static void	vtnet_init_locked(struct vtnet_softc *, int);
 static void	vtnet_init(void *);
 
 static void	vtnet_free_ctrl_vq(struct vtnet_softc *);
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ vtnet_resume(device_t dev)
 
 	VTNET_CORE_LOCK(sc);
 	if (ifp->if_flags & IFF_UP)
-		vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+		vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 	sc->vtnet_flags &= ~VTNET_FLAG_SUSPENDED;
 	VTNET_CORE_UNLOCK(sc);
 
@@ -1087,7 +1087,7 @@ vtnet_change_mtu(struct vtnet_softc *sc, int new_mtu)
 
 	if (ifp->if_drv_flags & IFF_DRV_RUNNING) {
 		ifp->if_drv_flags &= ~IFF_DRV_RUNNING;
-		vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+		vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 	}
 
 	return (0);
@@ -1131,7 +1131,7 @@ vtnet_ioctl(struct ifnet *ifp, u_long cmd, caddr_t data)
 				}
 			}
 		} else
-			vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+			vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 
 		if (error == 0)
 			sc->vtnet_if_flags = ifp->if_flags;
@@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ vtnet_ioctl(struct ifnet *ifp, u_long cmd, caddr_t data)
 
 		if (reinit && (ifp->if_drv_flags & IFF_DRV_RUNNING)) {
 			ifp->if_drv_flags &= ~IFF_DRV_RUNNING;
-			vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+			vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 		}
 
 		VTNET_CORE_UNLOCK(sc);
@@ -2783,7 +2783,7 @@ vtnet_tick(void *xsc)
 
 	if (timedout != 0) {
 		ifp->if_drv_flags &= ~IFF_DRV_RUNNING;
-		vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+		vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 	} else
 		callout_schedule(&sc->vtnet_tick_ch, hz);
 }
@@ -3068,6 +3068,9 @@ vtnet_init_tx_queues(struct vtnet_softc *sc)
 	for (i = 0; i < sc->vtnet_act_vq_pairs; i++) {
 		txq = &sc->vtnet_txqs[i];
 		txq->vtntx_watchdog = 0;
+#ifdef DEV_NETMAP
+		netmap_reset(NA(sc->vtnet_ifp), NR_TX, i, 0);
+#endif /* DEV_NETMAP */
 	}
 
 	return (0);
@@ -3151,7 +3154,7 @@ vtnet_reinit(struct vtnet_softc *sc)
 }
 
 static void
-vtnet_init_locked(struct vtnet_softc *sc)
+vtnet_init_locked(struct vtnet_softc *sc, int init_mode)
 {
 	device_t dev;
 	struct ifnet *ifp;
@@ -3166,6 +3169,18 @@ vtnet_init_locked(struct vtnet_softc *sc)
 
 	vtnet_stop(sc);
 
+#ifdef DEV_NETMAP
+	/* Once stopped we can update the netmap flags, if necessary. */
+	switch (init_mode) {
+	case VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_ENTER:
+		nm_set_native_flags(NA(ifp));
+		break;
+	case VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_EXIT:
+		nm_clear_native_flags(NA(ifp));
+		break;
+	}
+#endif /* DEV_NETMAP */
+
 	/* Reinitialize with the host. */
 	if (vtnet_virtio_reinit(sc) != 0)
 		goto fail;
@@ -3192,7 +3207,7 @@ vtnet_init(void *xsc)
 	sc = xsc;
 
 	VTNET_CORE_LOCK(sc);
-	vtnet_init_locked(sc);
+	vtnet_init_locked(sc, 0);
 	VTNET_CORE_UNLOCK(sc);
 }
 
diff --git a/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnetvar.h b/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnetvar.h
index dae955b1228c..01775cc186f2 100644
--- a/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnetvar.h
+++ b/sys/dev/virtio/network/if_vtnetvar.h
@@ -372,4 +372,10 @@ CTASSERT(((VTNET_MAX_TX_SEGS - 1) * MCLBYTES) >= VTNET_MAX_MTU);
         "VTNET Core Lock", MTX_DEF);					\
 } while (0)
 
+/*
+ * Values for the init_mode argument of vtnet_init_locked().
+ */
+#define VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_ENTER		1
+#define VTNET_INIT_NETMAP_EXIT		2
+
 #endif /* _IF_VTNETVAR_H */