SubTitle26-48a-1_26-48a-4. Hunting and Trapping  


Sec. 26-48a-1. Pheasant season, bag limits, tags, use and reporting
Latest version.

(a) (1) The open season for taking pheasant shall be from the third Saturday in October through the last day in February.

(2) The second Saturday in October shall be designated as junior pheasant hunting training day. On this day, only hunters having a valid Connecticut junior firearms hunting license and pheasant harvest stamp may hunt. The accompanying adult mentor shall have in his/her possession a valid Connecticut hunting license. The adult mentor shall not carry a firearm.

(3) The daily bag limit shall not exceed two pheasants and the season bag limit shall not exceed ten pheasants, except as provided in subsection (f) of this section.

(b) No person, required to be licensed per Section 26-27 of the Connecticut General Statutes as amended, shall kill, take, possess or transport any pheasant without a valid pheasant stamp, except as provided in subsection (j) of this section.

(c) No person shall allow another to have or use such stamp issued to himself or use any stamp issued to another.

(d) Pheasants taken under the provisions of Sections 26-48, 26-49 and 26-52 of the Connecticut General Statutes shall not be subject to regulations provided under this section.

(e) All stamp holders who are contacted by the department for the purposes of surveying pheasant hunting activity shall complete a hunting season activity report by the method specified in the hunting and trapping guide published annually by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

(f) (1) Members and guests of a private hunting club shall not be subject to state pheasant stamp requirements or seasonal bag limitations under subsections (a) and (b) of this section when hunting on club lands provided such club has qualified for an exemption pursuant to this subdivision. Members and guests of a private hunting club shall not be subject to daily bag limitations if a club tag is affixed to each pheasant taken on club lands. The club tag shall be affixed to the pheasant immediately upon kill and remain attached to the pheasant until it is prepared for consumption or mounted for display. The following information shall be printed legibly on each club tag: the name of the exempted club, date of taking, and the hunter’s current hunting license number. To qualify for an exemption, under this subdivision, a private hunting club shall:

(A) Obtain an application form for exemption from the Wildlife Division of the Department;

(B) Secure the signature of the local Department Conservation Officer on the completed application form prior to submitting it to the Wildlife Division;

(C) Submit the completed form to the Wildlife Division;

(D) Purchase and/or raise pheasants for liberation on club lands; and

(E) Post the boundaries of all club lands to be subject to such exemption in accordance with instructions from the Wildlife Division.

(2) The exemption shall be effective when the completed application form is signed by an authorized representative of the Wildlife Division.

(3) For the purposes of this section, "club lands" shall be defined as those lands which are closed to the public and which the club owns, leases or uses for hunting pursuant to an agreement with a private landowner. "Club lands" shall exclude lands on which pheasants are released under any state cooperative program.

(4) The Commissioner may revoke an exemption for submission of false or misleading statements on the application form or violation of the requirements of section 26-48a-1(j)(1)(C) or (D). Revocation shall be effective when the hunting club receives written notice of revocation.

(Effective May 16, 1996; Amended August 30, 1999; Amended December 18, 2002; Amended April 27, 2005; Amended October 4, 2011; Amended July 7, 2016)

Sec. 26-48a-2. Fees for permits to hunt wild turkey
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The fee for a permit to hunt wild turkey on state-owned and private lands shall be ten dollars for spring season permits and five dollars for fall season permits.

(Effective January 1, 1983)

Sec. 26-48a-3. Migratory Bird Harvest Permit
Latest version.

(a) No person required to be licensed under section 26-27 of the Connecticut General Statutes as amended shall hunt, possess or transport any migratory game bird, other than a crow, without also possessing a Migratory Bird Harvest Permit (“Permit”) issued by the Commissioner.

(b) The permit is valid for a calendar year, and expires December 31.

(c) The permittee shall carry the permit at all times when hunting.

(d) A permit may be purchased from any licensing agent for four dollars.

(e) Any person purchasing a permit shall possess a current hunting license issued per Section 26-27 of the Connecticut General Statutes and provide his or her name, date of birth, current mailing address and complete a questionnaire regarding his or her hunting and harvest of migratory birds.

(Adopted effective May 29, 1998; Amended September 9, 2013)

Sec. 26-48a-4. Trout and salmon stamp
Latest version.

(a) No person required to obtain a license to sport fish under the provisions of section 26-27 of the Connecticut General Statutes shall fish in any Trout Management Area, as provided in section 26-112-46(c) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, any Wild Trout Management Area, as provided in section 26-112-46(g) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, any Trout Park, as provided in section 26-112-46(i) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, or any Atlantic Salmon Broodstock Area, as provided in section 26-112-46(h) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, without first obtaining a trout and salmon stamp.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this subsection, no person required to obtain a license to sport fish under the provisions of section 26-27 or section 26-28b of the Connecticut General Statutes, shall possess on the waters of the inland district or the marine district, or on the shores of such waters, Atlantic Salmon, trout or kokanee without first obtaining a trout and salmon stamp.

(c) No trout and salmon stamp shall be required for any person possessing trout in the waters or on the shores of any stream or pond the waters of which have been stocked with trout at no expense to the state.

(d) Trout and salmon stamps shall be issued for a calendar year, and shall expire December thirty-first next following the date of issue and shall not be transferable. The fee for a trout and salmon stamp shall be five dollars.

(Effective March 9, 2018)