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2013 DEEP Proposed Amendments to Hunting and Trapping Regulations
Send your comments to Ms. Elaine Hinsch, DEEP Hearing Officer at Elaine.Hinsch@ct.gov and give your support for the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection ["DEEP"]Regulations Proposal currently being considered. Comments must be received by January 17, 2013. A summary of the main proposed changes include:
• Non-motorized bicycles shall be prohibited on any wildlife management area posted against such activity.
• Field dog trial permit prices are increased.
• No person shall possess in excess of 30 Common Snapping Turtles.
• Coyote and fox hunters hunting from a blind are exempt from fluorescent orange requirements when hunting from a blind, except during any firearms deer or fall firearms turkey season.
• The crow hunting season is changed from 3rd Saturday in October through the first Saturday in March; to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from the second Saturday in August through November 30; and from the second Saturday in January through the Last Saturday in March on Mondays through Saturdays.
• Some fur tagging requirements have been dropped and can now be reported by phone or internet.
• Dogs may be used to hunt turkeys during the fall firearms season on private lands only.
You can find the entire regulations proposals on the DEEP Website, http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2586&Q=514086&depNav_GID=1511.
The Regulations Hearing held on January 3, 2013 was poorly attended. There was little input from sportsmen. This could result in many comments being received against the proposal from anti’s and only a few in support from sportsmen.
We urge you to take a few minutes to send an email to the Hearing Officer in support of the proposed changes.
Comments can be as simple as, “I support all of the DEEP’s Proposed Amendments to the Hunting and Trapping Regulations presented at the January 3, 2013 hearing.” If you support some, but oppose others, feel free to do so.
In an ideal world, if a bunch of anti’s make idiotic comments, it is the Hearing Officer’s responsibility to rebut them with the facts (a bad idea repeated 100 times is still a bad idea!). However, the way it really works is that if the Hearing Officer’s report states, for example, “That 600 comments were received in opposition and only 4 in support,” that’s the info that the anti’s will bring to the legislators on the Regulation Review Committee.
Make sure to send your comments to Ms. Elaine Hinsch, DEEP Hearing Officer at Elaine.Hinsch@ct.gov. Comments must be received by January 17, 2013.
If you want to send a hard copy by snail-mail:
Ms. Elaine Hinsch, DEEP Hearing Officer
RE: DEEP Hunting and Trapping Regulation Changes
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106-5127
