Connecticut Hunting Seasons

CT Hunting

Connecticut has some densely populated areas as well as some nice rural areas. It has a large amount of coast so it has great fishing but it also has some great hunting in parts of the state, especially the northwest and is known for it's whitetail deer and waterfowl hunting.

Hunting season dates, bag limits and regulations will vary but we did our best to outline the key info and high level information below. For specific details reference the state website at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Hunting/CT-Hunting-and-Trapping.

CT Hunting Season Dates 2023

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CT Deer Hunting Seasons 2023

CT Bow Hunting / Archery Deer Hunting Season

Season	Dates	Zone
Deer	Jan. 1 – Jan. 31	Private Lands (Zones 11–12)
	Sept. 15 – Dec. 31	Private Lands (All zones)
	Sept. 15 – Nov. 16 Dec. 22 - Dec. 31	State Land
	Sept. 15 – Dec. 31	State Land Bowhunting Only Areas

Bag Limit: 2 either sex and 2 antlerless (4 total); additional bag of 1 either sex and 1 antlerless (2 total) during the Jan. 1-31 season on private lands in zones 11 and 12.

Hunting Hours: 1/2 hour before sunrise until sunset.

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CT Firearm Deer Hunting 2023

Season	Date	Limits
Private Land Muzzleloader	Dec. 8 – Dec. 31	See Below*
Private Land Shotgun/Rifle/Revolver	Nov. 17 – Dec. 7	See Below*
State Land Muzzleloader	Dec. 8 – Dec. 21	1 Either Sex

Statewide: 1 Either Sex and 1 Antlerless; Zone 7: 1 Extra Antlerless; Zones 11 and 12: 2 Extra Antlerless; Zones 2 and 4a: 1 Either Sex (“Antlerless Only” tag NOT valid).

Connecticut Turkey Season 2023

Season	Dates	Zone	Limits
Spring Turkey	Apr. 28 – May 29	State Land, Private Land, Landowner	5 bearded birds (on private land or state land or a combination of both)
Fall Turkey Archery	Jan. 1 – Jan. 30	Private Land (zones 11–12)	2 either sex
	Sep. 15 – Dec. 31	Private Land (all zones)	2 either sex
	Sep. 15 – Dec. 31	State Land Bowhunting Only Areas	2 either sex
	Sep. 15 – Nov. 16 Dec. 22 – Dec. 31	State Land	2 either sex
Fall Turkey Firearms	Oct. 2 – Oct. 30	State Land, Private Land, Landowner	3 either sex (on private land or state land or a combination of both).

*A Resident Game Bird Conservation Stamp required.

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Small Game Hunting Seasons CT 2023

Chuckar Partridge: Oct. 17-Dec. 31

Quail: Oct. 17-Nov.2

Pheasant: Oct. 17-Dec. 31

Ruffed Grouse: Oct. 17-Nov. 30

Cottontail Rabbit and European Hare: Oct. 16-Dec. 31

Gray Squirrel: Sept. 1-Dec. 31

Woodchuck: March 16-Nov. 16

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Connecticut Hunting Zones 2023

See the map below for a breakdown of CT's hunting zones:

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Connecticut Bag Limits 2023

Bag Limit: 2 either sex and 2 antlerless (4 total); additional bag of 1 either sex and 1 antlerless (2 total) during the Jan. 1-31 season on private lands in zones 11 and 12.

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Connecticut Hunting License 2023

Before hunting in CT, you will need the following:

A Connecticut hunting license (resident vs non-resident)
Applicable permits (deer, goose, etc)

Connecticut Hunting License Costs

License	Resident	Non-Resident
Firearms Hunting License	$19	$91
Archery Deer/Small Game Hunting License	$41	$135
Trapping	$34	$250

Permit & Tag Costs

Connecticut Hunting Regulations 2023

Hunting Hours: 1/2 hour before sunrise until sunset.

If hunting with a Free Landowner Permit or are aConnecticut resident hunting with a Private Land Shotgun/Rifle Permit you can use a revolver rather than a rifle or a shotgun to hunt deer on private lands of at least 10 acres in size.

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Helpful Resources

Official State Site: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Hunting/CT-Hunting-and-Trapping

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Connecticut Hunting Seasons 2023