Current through September 9, 2024
(a)
Hunting
at Bluff Point. No person shall hunt at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve
except for deer pursuant to an authorization lawfully obtained from the
Commissioner under this section of the Regulations of Connecticut State
Agencies. All deer hunting at Bluff Point shall be conducted in accordance with
subsections (d), (e), (f), (h), (I), (l) and (m) of section
26-66-1,
section 26-86a-3 and this section of the Regulations of Connecticut State
Agencies.
(b)
Seasons for
deer hunting, hours and deer hunting closure procedures.
(1) Through the issuance of press releases or
using similar means, the Commissioner may declare a deer hunting season when
the deer population as estimated by the Commissioner in November preceding the
calendar year in which a hunt will occur exceeds by at least ten deer the
population goal established under subsection (c) of this section. The
Commissioner shall estimate the deer population on the basis of aerial survey
data, night spotlight data, and any other scientifically recognized deer
population survey methods that the Commissioner deems appropriate.
(2) If the Commissioner declares a deer
hunting season, it may run for up to, but no more than, 20 days beginning no
earlier than the first Monday in January and ending no later than the last day
of March. During any such season, no person shall hunt on Sunday if such
hunting is prohibited by law.
(3)
The Commissioner shall close a deer hunting season when 90 percent of the
harvest quota has been tagged at the check station. If 90 percent of the
harvest quota is reached prior to 12:00 noon, the season shall close at sunset
of that day. If 90 percent of the quota is reached after 12:00 noon, the season
shall close at 12:00 noon on the following day. Upon conclusion of the deer
hunting season, all permits issued for that season by the Commissioner for deer
hunting at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve shall be null and void.
(4) The hours for hunting deer during a deer
hunting season shall be from one half hour before sunrise until
sunset.
(5) During a deer hunting
season no person shall enter Bluff Point State Park or Bluff Point Coastal
Reserve except for persons with lawful authorization from the Commissioner
issued in connection with the taking of deer or state personnel engaged in the
performance of their duties.
(c)
Population goals and hunting
quotas.
(1) Each year the Commissioner
shall establish a deer population goal. The Commissioner shall establish such
goal considering (A) any biological data collected from deer harvested at Bluff
Point Coastal Reserve in previous years, (B) any data collected during field
research at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve, and (C) any other relevant data or
information, including, without limitation, vegetation conditions and deer
health. The Commissioner's policy in establishing a deer population goal is to
maintain the deer herd at a level consistent with sound principles of wildlife
management, which include the health of the deer and of the Bluff Point Coastal
Reserve ecosystem. For the first year following the effective date of this
section, the Commissioner shall establish a deer population goal of 25.
Thereafter, the Commissioner shall establish the deer population goal in
accordance with the policy and procedures described in this
subsection.
(2) Each year in which
the Commissioner declares a deer hunting season, he shall establish a deer
harvest quota. The deer harvest quota shall be the number of deer which is
equal to the Commissioner's deer population estimate minus the deer population
goal.
(3) In any year in which
there has been a deer hunting season but the deer harvest quota has not been
achieved, the Commissioner may take as many deer as necessary to achieve such
quota. In any year in which there has not been a hunting season but the deer
population exceeds the deer population goal, the Commissioner may take as many
deer as necessary to achieve such goal. The Commissioner may take deer pursuant
to this subsection and he may close Bluff Point State Park and Bluff Point
Coastal Reserve for such purpose or he may take deer during hours when Bluff
Point State Park and Bluff Point Coastal reserve are not open to the public.
The Commissioner may use any legal method for any such taking.
(d)
Restrictions on
hunters. The Commissioner may limit the number of persons allowed on any
day to hunt deer, and at no time shall that number exceed 30. Only graduates of
Connecticut's Conservation Education/Firearms Safety program or an equivalent
training program from another state or governmental entity and who possess a
current valid Connecticut hunting license shall be eligible to receive a permit
from the Commissioner to hunt deer at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve.
(e)
Check station and reporting.
(1) Any person engaged in deer hunting shall,
prior to beginning hunting on any day, check in at the Department of
Environmental Protection Bluff Point Coastal Reserve deer check station and,
after completing hunting on such day, check out at such station.
(2) Any person who takes a deer shall
register such deer, and have a metal possession seal affixed thereto, at the
official Bluff Point Coastal Reserve deer check station. Such deer shall be
registered on the same date taken. No person shall register, or allow to be
registered in his name, any deer which such person did not lawfully take.
Employees of the Department of Environmental Protection may collect biological
data, including removing teeth, jaws, or organs, from any deer registered at
the Department of Environmental Protection deer check station for scientific or
management purposes. No person shall hinder or interfere with the collection of
such biological data.
(f)
Firearms and ammunition. No
person shall hunt deer except with a 12, 16, or 20 gauge smooth or rifled bore
shotgun using ammunition loaded with a single soft alloy projectile. Any
shotgun used to hunt deer shall be capable of carrying no more than three
shells and shall be plugged with a one piece filler that cannot be removed
unless the gun is disassembled.
(g)
Clothing color requirements. No person shall hunt, pursue, wound
or kill any deer during a deer hunting season at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve
unless such person is wearing at least 400 square inches of fluorescent orange
clothing visible from all sides.
(h)
Permits and tags.
(1) No person shall apply for or be issued
more than one permit to hunt deer at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve in a calendar
year. The Commissioner shall issue permits for deer hunting at Bluff Point
Coastal Reserve on the basis of a random selection of completed applications by
applicants who possess a current valid Connecticut hunting license and who have
competed Connecticut's Conservation Education/Firearms Safety Course or an
equivalent training program from another state or governmental entity. Prior to
selecting applicants, the Commissioner shall determine the number of permits to
be issued. For the first deer hunting season following the effective date of
this section, if the deer harvest quota is 49 or less deer, up to 200 permits
will be issued, and if the deer harvest quota is 50 or more deer, up to 360
permits will be issued; thereafter, the Commissioner may make reasonable
adjustments to the number of permits to be issued based upon experience from
prior hunts, the factors set forth in subsection
26-86a-11(c)(1)
of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies or any other factor aimed at
promoting, or consistent with, sound principles of wildlife
management.
(2) Any permit issued
pursuant to this section shall contain conditions reasonably deemed necessary
by the Commissioner relating to the hunt. These conditions may include the
number of days a person can hunt, the number of deer a person may take, the
locations or areas within which a person can hunt, the allowable or
non-allowable hunting methods or any condition related to the safety of the
hunt.
(3) Each person who takes a
deer shall, immediately upon taking such deer, detach a deer tag from his
permit, punch out and remove the proper areas on the tag indicating the month
and day the deer was killed, and immediately attach the tag to the
carcass.
(4) No person shall (A)
change or alter a permit issued by the Commissioner to hunt deer or a deer tag,
(B) loan a permit or tag issued to himself to another person or allow another
person to have or use such permit or tag, or (C) use any permit or tag issued
to another.
(5) The Commissioner
shall not issue to any person more than one deer hunting permit during any
calendar year, except that the Commissioner may issue a replacement deer
hunting permit to a permittee if such permittee makes a complete application
therefore, pays the application fee established under section
26-86a
of the general statutes, and demonstrates that the original permit has been
lost, destroyed or mutilated beyond recognition.
(6) False or misleading information contained
in an application for a deer hunting permit or replacement deer hunting permit
shall be cause for the Commissioner to deny such application or revoke a permit
issued pursuant to such permit.
(i)
Definitions. For the
purposes of subsection
26-86a-11(a)
-(h) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies:
"Check station" means the Department of Environmental
Protection's deer check station at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve.
"Commissioner" is defined as in section
22a-2
of the general statutes.
"Person" is defined as in section
22a-2
of the general statutes.
"Taking" is defined as in section
26-1 of
the general statutes.
