Managing Urban Deer in Connecticut

Developing an Urban Deer Management Plan

Build community support by providing residents with facts about hunting and other management options.
Work with adjacent landowners to encourage hunting on their property.
Identify responsible hunters willing to assist the community.
Focus removal efforts by targeting large blocks of undeveloped land first.
Use firearms where possible to maximize deer harvest in the shortest time interval.
Use archery hunting in areas where gun hunting is not permitted or when a quiet method is preferred.
Design hunts to maximize harvest opportunity.
All deer management programs should be maintained annually.
All deer should be targeted for removal, but efforts should encourage the taking of antlerless deer (does).
Encourage accurate record keeping of deer-vehicle accidents, deer roadkills, and cases of Lyme disease so that these parameters can be followed as a measure of progress in deer management programs.
Provide refrigerated storage for deer and develop a fund to cover cost of donating venison.

Landowners interested in having someone hunt their property may want to ask hunters the following questions:

Do you hunt other properties in town or in the area?
How long have you been hunting?
How did you learn to hunt?
Why do you hunt deer?
Have you ever been confronted by a neighbor who was not supportive of hunting and how did you deal with them?
What do you typically do with the meat?
Are you willing to harvest more deer and donate to a food bank?
Do you butcher your own deer or bring it to a butcher? What about additional deer?
Can you show me your hunter certification from Connecticut or another state?
Will you be hunting from a tree stand or ground blind?
Do you intend to shoot does (female deer) on this property?

Content last updated in August 2026.