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Summer Edition 2025
Hunter Highlights is published by the Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division. Please share the newsletter with others to help spread awareness about hunting and trapping in Connecticut!
Legislative Update: Sunday Hunting on Private Land Approved
In a major shift for Connecticut hunters, Public Act 25-138, “An Act Authorizing Sunday Hunting on Private Lands,” has been signed into law. While limited to private property, this act marks a meaningful shift in expanding hunting opportunities, particularly for those whose schedules restrict them to hunt only on weekends. These changes will take effect October 1, 2025.
Key details:
- Sunday hunting on private land will be allowed on Sundays for both archery and firearms, and for all game species except migratory birds (waterfowl, woodcock, snipe, rails, and crows).
- Sunday hunting on state land remains closed for all species and all hunting implements.
- Hunting for migratory birds is not permitted on Sundays on any land type.
Though not a full repeal of the Sunday hunting restriction, this update provides additional access and flexibility for hunters using private lands.
DEEP recently acquired 642.9 acres in Killingly, Connecticut with the intent to establish a new wildlife management area (WMA).
Habitat and Hunting Area Update
Habitat Management:
- Habitat Enhancements at Robbins Swamp WMA: DEEP Habitat Biologist Peter Picone planted bare-root native speckled alder, red raspberry, and common elderberry to enhance edge and thicket habitat at Robbins Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Canaan and North Canaan. These plantings provide valuable food and cover for a range of species, including American woodcock and New England cottontails.
- Ground-Nesting Bird Protections: To safeguard ground-nesting birds, such as American woodcock, wild turkey, bobolinks, and grasshopper sparrows, Goshen and Suffield Wildlife Management Areas are closed to dogs through August 31. Thank you for helping protect these sensitive habitats during the critical nesting season.
- Spring Prescribed Burns: Controlled burns are an essential tool for managing wildlife habitat,
promoting native plant growth, and maintaining early successional ecosystems. This past spring, the Wildlife Division conducted prescribed burns at the following sites:
- Quinebaug River WMA, Plainfield – 11.5 acres
- Suffield WMA, Suffield – 65 acres
- Shetucket Barren (Pachaug State Forest), Voluntown – 16.6 acres
These efforts help maintain the open and shrubby habitat types crucial for game birds, pollinators, and other species that rely on disturbance-dependent ecosystems.
New Wildlife Management Area is coming to Killingly, CT!
DEEP recently acquired 642.9 acres of important wildlife habitat and wetlands in Killingly, Connecticut, with the intent to establish a new wildlife management area (WMA). The property’s varied landscape, encompassing forests, wetlands, and four main waterbodies, supports a rich array of plant and animal species.
The property is currently closed to the public while staff finalize the boundaries. A site designation review is also in the works that will recommend future management activities and public uses. This review will include a hunting safety and season framework evaluation.
The acquisition of this property was made possible through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. Initiated in the 1930s through the Pittman-Robertson Act by hunters and conservationists, this program provides states with funding for wildlife and habitat management, research, land acquisition, and hunter education programs.
The new WMA will be open to the public in the coming months. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting addition to Connecticut’s public lands.
DEEP Wildlife technician Olivia prepares to release a hen wild turkey after it was fitted with a transmitter.
Tracking Turkeys: New Research on Wild Turkey Survival in Connecticut
This past winter, the Wildlife Division launched a pilot study to better understand the factors influencing the survivability of eastern wild turkeys in Connecticut. As part of the project, turkeys were safely captured using rocket nets in four zones across eastern Connecticut. Each bird received a unique leg band, and hens were outfitted with GPS backpacks for ongoing monitoring. Biological samples were also collected to support disease surveillance, and standard measurements, such
as weight, beard length, and spur length, were recorded.
During the 2025 trapping season, a total of 57 turkeys were banded (4 toms, 23 jakes, and 30 hens). Of those, 21 hens received GPS transmitters and have been tracked daily by DEEP biologists using radio telemetry to monitor nesting behavior and poult survival. Trail cameras placed at nest sites provide additional insights into causes of nest failure, abandonment, or predation.
As of June 1, two toms have been reported harvested, and four hens with GPS units have been found deceased. While most initial nesting attempts were unsuccessful due to predation or abandonment, several hens have re-nested, two of which have successfully hatched broods. This study will help shape future turkey management strategies and ensure healthy populations for years to come.
Seen any wild turkeys lately?
Connecticut residents are encouraged to be on the lookout for wild turkeys, especially hens and poults (young-of-the-year). The Wildlife Division conducts its annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey to estimate the average number of turkey poults per hen statewide. This survey also allows biologists to assess annual fluctuations in the turkey population and calculate male-to-female ratios.
To participate, simply record all the hens, poults, toms, or jakes observed during your normal travel from June 1 through August 31.
More on the Wild Turkey Brood Survey . . .
This spring season, wild turkeys were taken in 137 of Connecticut’s 169 towns.
Spring Turkey Season 2025: Harvest Highlights
Connecticut’s 2025 spring turkey hunting season wrapped up with a total reported harvest of 1,186 wild turkeys, consisting of 342 juvenile males (jakes), 837 adult males (toms), 5 bearded hens, and 2 birds of unknown age or sex.
Turkeys were taken in 137 of Connecticut’s 169 towns, with Thompson (28), Lebanon (26), and Woodstock (25) reporting the highest numbers. While no town crossed the 30-bird mark this season, Turkey Management Zone 5 in the northeastern part of the state continued to lead in harvest totals.
Private land continues to be where most birds are harvested (77%), thanks probably to a combination of better habitat, more experienced hunters, and less crowding. Among public lands, Nachaug (24) and Pachaug (19) State Forests yielded the highest overall harvests, while Enders State Forest stood out for having one of the highest harvest densities in the state.
The Wild Turkey Junior Hunter Days, held April 19-26 (excluding Sunday), marked their 21st year. Junior hunters (ages 12-15) harvested 34 turkeys during the special week —just two fewer than the previous season. Notably, 40 young hunters bagged their very first wild turkey this year, with over one third (14) doing so during the designated youth week.
Thanks to everyone who participated safely and responsibly in the season. Your continued interest and stewardship help sustain Connecticut’s wild turkey population for future generations of hunters.
NEW! View the 2024 Turkey Program Report . . .
"Northern Grace" by Ben Bognon.
Connecticut Migratory Bird Hunting Guide Now Available
The 2025-2026 Connecticut Migratory Bird Hunting Guide is now available on the DEEP website. The Guide contains season dates and other important information pertaining to upcoming hunting seasons for waterfowl (including Canada geese), woodcock, snipe, rails, and crows. Please note: There are changes to migratory bird hunting seasons this year. The majority of these changes pertain to the South Zone and the duck seasons. A printed version of the guide is currently being produced and should be available within the next few weeks.
Congratulations again to New Canaan resident, Ben Bognon (age 18) whose colored pencil drawing of two northern pintails was selected as the "Best in Show" for the 2025 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp competition.
View the 2025-2026 guide . . .
The DEEP Wildlife Division, with the help of many volunteers, has been banding Canada geese for decades.
DEEP Wildlife Division Staff and Volunteers Band over 800 Canada Geese this Season
Each year, DEEP Wildlife Division waterfowl biologists, with the help of many dedicated volunteers, visit select locations across Connecticut to band Canada geese.
Banding wrapped up at the end of last month, and biologists captured 870 geese, including 671 new and 199 recaptured birds.
Why band waterfowl? Affixing a uniquely numbered small metal band to each bird helps biologists learn about breeding and wintering distribution, behavior, migratory routes, survival, and reproduction.
Banded birds may be recaptured in the future by biologists, found dead by the general public, or, in the case of waterfowl, are harvested by hunters who then report these bands to the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory. Reporting banded birds provides information about where the bird was banded, what habitats it relies on, where it was recovered, and how long it lived.
LeanHunting.org helps connect new adult hunters with experienced mentors.
Are You Looking to Learn - or Share - Hunting Skills?
Check out LearnHunting.org - Whether you are just starting out or you have spent a lifetime in the woods, LearnHunting.org is a free, nationwide platform created to connect new adult hunters with experienced mentors. Developed by the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA), the site makes it simple to build confidence, learn new skills, and share your knowledge –all on your own schedule.
Get started in 3 steps!
1. Sign up for free: Open to adults (18+). All users complete an automatic background check at sign-up, helping ensure a safer, more trustworthy environment for everyone.
2. Find your match: The platform displays a map showing available mentors near you, along with the types of hunting and game they are willing to teach. Only first names and zip code locations are shown, keeping personal details private.
3. Start the conversation: Browse local mentors and send a message to someone who fits what you are looking for. Mentors are notified through the platform and can choose to accept or decline requests. Once a connection is accepted, contact information is shared and you are free to coordinate directly –whether it is a day scouting, a hunting trip, or just a phone call, it is completely up to you.
Mentors can be learners too: Are you willing to share some skills but also interested in learning from others? You can sign up as a mentor, specify what you are comfortable teaching, and still access the map to connect with other mentors for skills you would like to develop.
No long-term commitment: You control your availability and level of involvement. Mentors can easily toggle their availability on or off at any time.
Right now, Connecticut has a few mentors signed up but no students yet. So, if you are ready to learn, help others learn, or both, this is a great time to sign up.
Visit LearnHunting.org to get started!
Aedes japonicus. Photo by CAES.
Mosquito Season and Disease Monitoring
The State of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program monitors mosquitoes for the presence of viruses that can cause illness in people, including West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. The mosquito trapping and testing program, which is coordinated by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), began on June 2 and will last until the end of October.
Mosquitoes trapped in Bridgeport on June 11 tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV), representing the first WNV positive mosquitoes identified in the state by the CAES this year. This is one of the earlier detections of virus recorded during the last 25 years of the statewide monitoring program.
To protect yourself from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases, you should:
- Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- When it is necessary to be outdoors, use mosquito repellents containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, including DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA registration of skin-applied repellent products indicates that they have been evaluated and approved for human safety and effectiveness when applied according to instructions on the label.
- Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are more active. Clothing should be light-colored and loose-fitting and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
- Wear clothing and gear treated with permethrin. Permethrin is an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes and ticks.
- Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
- When sleeping outdoors, use tents or mosquito netting in an unscreened structure. Treat camping gear with permethrin when possible.
- Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito nets when outside.
Information on WNV and EEE, what can be done to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, the latest mosquito test results, and human infections can be found on the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website.
Seasonal Recipes: Chicken of the Woods Marsala
Bring a wild twist to an Italian classic with this Wild Turkey and Chicken of the Woods Marsala. This rich, earthy dish pairs the deep flavor of wild game with the vibrant texture of foraged mushrooms (or your favorite store-bought variety). Whether you are celebrating a successful spring turkey season or just looking for a hearty, comforting meal, this recipe is a savory reminder of the rewards the woods can offer.
View game recipes . . .
Chicken of the woods. Photo courtesy of Aubree Keurajian.
Chicken of the Woods: Keep an Eye Out While Scouting!
A contribution by Aubree Keurajian, Founder of Ungardening Native Plants
If you are out in the woods this summer prepping stands or scouting, you may just stumble upon this tasty bonus: Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sp.) could easily be considered a gateway mushroom into the world of foraging. They are easy to spot, distinctive, and delicious! It is a shelf mushroom, meaning that it is made of multiple fan-shaped layers attached to a tree, with no stem. They can be recognized most readily by the bright yellow and orange color on their topsides. Underneath they have pores, rather than gills, and may be white or yellow depending on the species; both will have white spores. When identifying mushrooms it is very important to take a spore print in order to have a confident ID - never eat a new mushroom if you have not taken a spore print!
Important! Jack o’ Lantern (Omphalotus olearius), a bright orange poisonous mushroom, is sometimes confused with Chicken of the Woods, but it has a stem and gills underneath instead.
Chicken of the Woods can be found on dead or dying trees, primarily oaks. They sometimes grow from the roots of trees, which can give them the appearance of growing directly from the ground, resulting in an almost circular shape. When foraging, be sure to never harvest in an area that has been treated with pesticides or herbicides, or below knee-level along hiking trails frequented by dogs, and keep an eye out for poison ivy! Always start with a small amount of a new wild food, especially a mushroom. While Chicken of the Woods is delicious and sought-after, it can cause digestive distress in some people. If the mushroom you are looking at isn't a striking yellow and orange, you are probably looking at a different polypore. The most common look-alike is the Black Staining Polypore (Meripilus sumstenei). As its name implies, its flesh darkens when damaged, although this is more
evident in younger mushrooms. It is beige-to-tan, with more angular pores and white spores. It is also edible, although not particularly palatable, and ages quickly into a very tough texture.
Note: You should not consume a wild mushroom unless you are 100% sure of its identification. Misidentification could have serious consequences. Before foraging for mushrooms, reach out to a local mushroom organization, like the Connecticut Mycological Society, to learn more about mushrooms.
Sara Bardwell poses with her recent harvest.
Hunter Profile: Sara Bardwell, Vice President of the Northeast Chapter of American Daughters of Conservation
Would you like to be our next featured hunter?! If so, please send us a short write-up (500 words or so) about yourself and a photo to deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov, and you may be featured in our next issue!
Like many people getting into hunting, I didn’t grow up with it. I was not around firearms as a kid, and the only family member I had who hunted was my uncle in Massachusetts. In 2017, after I graduated high school, he took me to my first archery shop and bought me a PSE bow as a gift. He told me that if I was serious about hunting, I needed to practice and take my hunter education class.
So I did, year after year. We would go to 3D archery shoots together, and I kept practicing. Eventually, I was ready to try my hand at deer hunting. That first experience was scary and amazing at the same time. Walking through the woods in the dark is terrifying even to this day. It is humbling. There is something magical about being in the woods before the animals wake up, watching the sun rise and listening to everything come alive. It is a feeling you can’t explain; you have to experience it. Sitting in the woods, listening for every small movement, hoping it’s a deer … that’s an adrenaline rush like no other. And, I cannot even put into words the feeling that comes when you do harvest an animal. It never goes away. With every successful harvest, that feeling returns, and every time you reminisce about it, it is just as powerful.
Since I started hunting, I started following other women on social media who hunt and appreciate the outdoors the way I do. That eventually led me to the American Daughters of Conservation, an all-women’s national nonprofit. I loved their mission to educate women in the outdoors and their dedication to conservation, so I joined. A few months later, I applied for and was elected Vice President of the Northeast Chapter, which covers all New England states and New York. Being part of this organization has opened so many doors. I’ve gone on hunts in other states that I never would have thought possible. I’ve also had opportunities to teach and mentor. Last year, for instance, I helped lead a crossbow hunt in New York, where we took 10 women who had never hunted before into the field for two days. Within this organization, women have the chance to both learn and teach, and
that is a truly empowering thing.
I mainly hunt white-tailed deer and wild turkey. I would love to hunt elk or moose someday, but that’s for the future. My reason for hunting is simple: I am able to provide meat for my family and know exactly where it came from. I still hunt with my uncle. We don’t have many traditions, other than staying at his house the night before and him making fun of me for tripping over everything while we walk in the woods.
If I had one piece of advice for women interested in hunting, it would be this: just do it. You will make some mistakes (like with anything new) but you will learn from them. Practice harder, be patient, and let your drive for success guide you. Try to find other women to ask questions and to go out hunting with. It can be intimidating entering a male-dominated space, but there are so many women out there ready to support you (and many men, too!). While there are always a few bad apples, most of the men I have met want to see more women out there just as much as I do.
Seasonal Job Opportunity at Franklin Swamp
The DEEP Wildlife Division is seeking a Seasonal Resource Assistant to help with clerical duties at the Franklin Swamp Wildlife Management Area office in North Franklin. Duties include answering phone calls from the public regarding wildlife and selling hunting and fishing licenses. There will also be opportunities to assist staff in the field.
Pay rates vary from $17.00 to $20.00 per hour, depending on education and experience. Positions are typically 6 months in duration (no more than 1,040 hours) and have between a 35- to 40-hour work week.
Contact deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov to let us know once you have applied.
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