November 2025

Wildlife Highlights is published by the Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division. Please share the newsletter with others to help spread awareness about Connecticut's wildlife!

New Public Hunting Property Added

The former Gallup property at 860 Pendleton Hill Road in Voluntown, which is now part of Pachaug State Forest, has been opened for all forms of hunting. Purchased in December 2018 with Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Funds, the more than 162-acre property features open fields, woodlands, a pond, and scenic views. The hunting area map of Pachaug State Forest has been updated to reflect the addition of the Gallup property.

Help improve your visibility on the landscape this fall by wearing fluorescent orange.

Be Seen Outdoors this Fall

Several popular fall hunting seasons are now underway with more starting later this month. Visitors to public hunting areas are strongly encouraged to wear fluorescent orange to improve their visibility to other users of the land.

All hunters must wear fluorescent orange from September 1 through the last day in February (with some exceptions). When fluorescent orange is required, the hunter must wear an article of clothing that has 400 square inches of fluorescent orange material visible above the waist and visible from all sides.

Connecticut has one of the best hunting safety records in the country, and most hunters also wear fluorescent orange when moving between hunting locations. 
Whether you like to hike, horseback ride, mountain bike, or fish, it is a good idea to sport some fluorescent orange while outdoors.

Reminder about dogs: As always, dogs must be kept on leashes no longer than 7 feet while on DEEP properties, unless the dog is in the act of hunting or training for hunting.

Black bear photo courtesy of Erika Olsen.

Black Bears Still Packing on the Pounds through November 

Do not let the recent frosts and chilly mornings fool you. Black bears are still active and are continuing to stock up for the coming winter. It is important to be BearWise® year-round and not allow bears access to food items, such as garbage and birdseed.

When can I put out bird feeders? DEEP does not recommend putting out bird feeders at any time of year. However, bird feeders are less susceptible to being raided by bears during the winter months from December through late-March when bears are in their dens. Although most bears enter dens at some point, some can remain active for portions of or the entire winter season, if food is available. It is important to remove bird feeders at the first sign of bear activity.

Native landscaping, a better alternative to feeders. For those who enjoy watching birds, establish native plants in your yard and add water features to attract birds. These methods may increase bird diversity and prevent unnatural feeding of a variety of wildlife species. Learn how you can bring wildlife to your yard with native landscaping.

More on Living with Black Bears . . .

White-tailed deer photo courtesy of Matt Balnis.

Brake for Deer and Moose

Connecticut motorists are reminded to be aware of the potential for increased deer and moose activity along roadways during fall months, especially during early morning and evening hours. September through October is peak breeding season for Connecticut's small moose population, which mainly resides in the northern part of the state. The breeding season (also known as "the rut") for white-tailed deer runs from late October through late December. Moose and deer are particularly active during the breeding season and are therefore more likely to attempt road crossings at this time of year.

Motorists should be aware of and heed “Deer Crossing” signs which are placed in areas along state highways where multiple animals have been struck in the past. Motorists are advised to slow down, and drive defensively should a deer or moose be spotted on or by the road.

All moose and deer vehicle collisions should be reported to local, state, or DEEP Environmental Conservation (EnCon) police officers (24-hour DEEP Dispatch Center phone number: 860-424-3333).

View the press release . . .

Roughly 23,000 ring-necked pheasants will be stocked across state lands this hunting season.

Fall Hunting Seasons Underway; Deer Firearms Seasons Open November 19

The Small Game and Pheasant Season opened on Saturday, October 18. Stocking details for pheasant hunting areas, as well as information on the Saturday permits, are on our pheasant hunting webpage.

Pheasant hunters should note that leases have not been renewed at East Windsor/Enfield and Suffield Permit Required Areas. Public access will not be available to those properties in 2025. Stay tuned to the pheasant hunting webpage for any other property and stocking updates.

This year, small game, pheasant, turkey, and deer hunters can now hunt on private land on Sundays, with landowner permission, and are subject to the same rules for private lands that are in place during the rest of the week. Deer and turkey hunters are required to obtain written permission from private landowners, while small game and pheasant hunters are required to obtain written permission from private landowners to hunt on Sundays (Monday through Saturdays: Verbal permission is required for small game and pheasant hunters. Written permission is not required, although DEEP recommends hunters carry written permission from the landowner.) Hunters may not hunt on Sundays within 40 yards of a blazed trail open to the public. Migratory birds (waterfowl, geese, woodcock, snipe, rails, and crows) cannot be hunted on Sundays on private land.

Questions on Sunday hunting? Consult the DEEP website here.

Deer Hunting: Firearms deer hunting season opened for landowners on their own property on November 1, and the Private Land Shotgun/Rifle/Revolver and the State Land Lottery and No-Lottery Seasons open on Wednesday, November 19. 

Everything you need to know about season details, as well as the tagging and reporting process, is covered on the DEEP website.

DEEP reminds hunters that the new Sunday hunting law only applies to private lands, and Sunday hunting on state and public lands and waterways remains closed.

Connecticut hunting and trapping  . . . 

A DEEP Seasonal Resource Assistant checks the contents of a waterfowl nest box.

Providing Nesting Habitat for Waterfowl

The DEEP Wildlife Division maintains over 400 wood duck nest boxes across wildlife management areas, state forests, and state parks. This time of year, staff are assessing nest box use and productivity, conducting routine maintenance (i.e. raising the box height for the seasonal change in water levels), and adding fresh pine shavings for the birds that will nest come spring.

Wood ducks require some type of cavity (natural or man-made) to lay their eggs. By examining the remaining egg membranes, biologists are able to tell how many eggs successfully hatched this past spring. Nest boxes installed on state lands are built with locally harvested timber that is milled at the DEEP Sawmill in Portland.

More on the wood duck . . .

A bumble bee burrows under fallen leaves. Photo: Steven Severinghaus / Flickr Creative Commons 2.0.

This Fall, Leave the Leaves

Unless you live in a quiet rural area, you’ve probably been hearing leaf blowers lately. When we remove leaves, we also remove habitat for native pollinators, other insects, amphibians, and reptiles that support ecosystem health. When leaves are hauled away by vehicles or cleared using leaf blowers, those activities involve the burning of fuels and contribute to ongoing shifts in our climate and weather patterns. In just the past few years, in Connecticut and worldwide, we’ve seen record-breaking flooding events, droughts and fires, and intense storms.

If you leave leaves where they fall, even in just part of your yard, you will be supporting habitat for wildlife while lessening further changes in our climate. When leaves need to be cleared, use of rakes over leaf blowers and composting leaves on your property are great alternatives to more energy-intensive methods of leaf removal.

More the importance of leaving the leaves . . .

Upcoming Events:
The Wildlife Division will be participating in the following events in the near future:

• Thursday, November 13, 2025: UConn Native Plants and Pollinators Conference. Join us for an exciting day of presentations featuring current science-based research and information on supporting pollinators in managed landscapes. Learn how native plants support pollinator health throughout the year! This program is designed for growers and other green industry professionals, landscape service providers, landscape architects and designers, town commissions, municipalities, and home gardeners. Registration is required. To register, please select this link.
• Saturday, November 15, 2025: Hammonasset Fall Festival. Explore nature-themed activities at the Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Who We Are
The Wildlife Division is part of the Bureau of Natural Resources within the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The Bureau is charged with managing the state’s natural resources (particularly fish, wildlife, and forests) through a program of research, management, public education, and regulation. The Wildlife Division is comprised of several programs that work together to conserve and manage Connecticut's wildlife.

Contact Us
Email: deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov
Phone: 860-424-3011
Wildlife Website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEPWildlife
Hunting Information: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEPHunting
Office Directory: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/wildlife-division-office-directory

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are seeking a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint, or require some other accommodation, including equipment to facilitate virtual participation, please contact the DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at 860-418-5910 or by email at deep.accommodations@ct.gov. Any person needing an accommodation for hearing impairment may call the State of Connecticut relay number - 711. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.