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2017 Private Land Permission Reminder

Particularly if you plan to hunt Zone 11 or 12 in January, this is a reminder to buy your 2017 license and complete your 2017 private land permission slips for any such properties you hunt. It's also a good time to thank all landowners prior to asking for their signature again. Enjoy the New Year fellas!

I'd love to hunt CT in Sept./Oct. close to the NY border. Any decent state land options?

XbowNY - The lowest deer density in CT is generally the NW corner. I would try closer to the southern border, where it is among the highest. Wish I could be more specific, but I don't know that area very well. Can check the DEEP website for public hunting areas. There is an interactive map. Im sure someone else will have more detailed info on here too

yeah, no deer in the NW corner, go south, nothing to see here, keep moving :)

N8 - I think there are 2 ways to approach finding a new spot. One is to do what Xbow said, and what most others would say, go where there are more deer. But more deer also means more hunters and it's a longer ride and may impact your desire to get out as much.

The other choice is stay closer to home. This allows you to scout more often, hunt more often and really understand where the deer are in that area, not to mention less hunting pressure. I've found that if you have just a couple of doe in the area they will draw the bucks to them when the rut happens, as long as you don't shoot them. Bucks don't like dead doe. :)

If I had my option honestly I think I would hit NW corner, if looking for a quality buck. Yes, there more deer down in zone 11&12 however where there is quantity you lose quality. Went to the Springfield hunting show yesterday and not one buck was from Fairfield county, also if you check the NBBC quarterly newsletter, there seems to be fewer and fewer quality bucks coming from zone 11&12. Many big bucks that were being presented at the show were from upstate. Larger woods and more places to hide, down here only a matter of time til a bucks walk by the tons of hunters hunting every acre of huntable property running 5-10+feeders per square mile.

I couldn't agree with you more Dave.. Makes sense.. But dont forget when I lived in mass and hunted thousands of acres that was not the case.. I think that its a tricky situation.. But yes as far as zones 11 and 12 being over run with hunters and deer not getting the opportunity to grow to there potential I couldn't agree with you more!!

I agree with you shawn that MA has low deer densities but you cannot argue that some absolute Giants do not come out of that state.

From the nbbc page. Awesome first two days in Springfield MA at the Big E! We scored almost 70 deer in two days including two giant MA bucks that score 201" and 193" - both bow kills from 2016! We have 100 great mounts and racks in display. There won't be many bucks that big coming from CT. I can promise you that. MA still has quality deer, yes low numbers, but big woods for the ones that are there to get them to maturity.

I got $, just need a willing taker in CT.

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