Connecticut
116,000
Est. Whitetail Population
45,000
No. Licenses Sold Annually
$19 to $95
A resident firearms deer license is $19. A resident archery license is $41. State land lottery permits are an additional $19.
Resident hunting license and deer permit
$91 to $294
A non-resident firearms deer license is $91. A non-resident archery license is $135. Deer permit is an additional $68.
Non-resident hunting license and deer permit
179 4/8"
Taken by Gary Lovrin in Litchfield County in 1993.
Record B&C Typical Stat
17
Total B&C Typical Entries
201 7/8"
Taken by Henry Konow Jr. in New London County in 2000.
Record B&C Non-Typical Stat
4
Record B&C Non-Typical Entries
Check out the latest deer-hunting info for Connecticut. Image by Tony Campbell
Season Dates (2025):
Hunting season dates vary greatly by location. Please check the CONNECTICUT DNR WEBSITE to confirm deer-season dates.
The Grade: C
Harvests haven’t been too hot the past few years. The 5-year hunter success average is roughly 23.2 percent, per the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
“Overall, the harvest is relatively stable across the state, with some zones decreasing due to our efforts to reduce the population and increasing in others due to restrictions on tag issuance,” said Andrew LaBonte, wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
LaBonte noted that harvest rates rarely fluctuate, and that minor harvest shifts are due to acorn crops, weather and snow conditions, he explained. What has fluctuated is the deer herd. It had been trending upward, but a handful of years ago, it decreased pretty significantly. Some of that was due to EHD mortality.
“In 2022, hemorrhagic disease was documented in four different zones (1, 2, 10, and 12) across the state and seemed to be most prevalent in northwestern Connecticut, which also mildly impacted harvest numbers in that area,” LaBonte said. Interestingly, the Department’s website said that no cases were reported in 2023 and only two cases in 2024.
All said, we’re leaving Connecticut at a C again this year.
Antler Nation Knowledge:
The state has only eight counties, but there are clear winners. For top-end bucks, the best deer hunting is in the westernmost part of the state. Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, and New Haven are the dominant areas. Middlesex County, in the center of the state, turned out back-to-back Booners in 2010 and 2011.
It isn’t a big state, but there are plenty of areas to chase public-land whitetails. Use the CONNECTICUT HUNTING AREAS MAP to find likely hotspots. Archery deer hunters are allowed to hunt in Connecticut on Sundays, provided they are at least 40 yards away from any blazed public hiking trails.
“The agency continues to try to open up more state land areas to hunting, which are always very popular,” LaBonte said. “However, urban bowhunters in deer management zones 11 and 12 continue to capitalize on liberal seasons with replacement antlerless and earn-a-buck tags available, and the use of bait. These same urban areas can also harbor some trophy bucks since many of these areas provide refuge from hunters who may not feel comfortable hunting in close proximity to residential areas and the limited hunting access.”
