Connecticut DEP Deer & Bowhunting Surveys

A message from the CT DEP to all Connecticut Deer and Bowhunters:

This is a reminder for you to respond to the 2010 January Bowhunter Survey. If you have already completed the survey, you can ignore this message.

If you have not completed a survey, please do so at your earliest convenience. Your input is important.

You should complete the survey even if you did not hunt deer this January.

While doing surveys, If you bought a deer hunting permit in 2009, please complete the survey about your 2009 deer hunting activity. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete and will help with the management of Connecticut's deer population. To take the survey, you will need to enter your Connecticut Conservation ID number that is printed on your license. Take the 2009 Deer Hunting Survey Now

You will need to know your Connecticut Conservation ID Number to complete the survey. Your Conservation ID Number is printed on your license.

If you have any questions about either of the surveys, you can contact the Deer Program at 860-642-7239 on weekdays between 8:30am and 4:00pm. The DEP thanks you for your time and input.

Information provided by: Howard J. Kilpatrick, Deer Program Biologist
DEP - Wildlife Division; Connecticut DEP Hunting and Trapping Website: www.ct.gov/dep/hunting

laws + legislation

Click here for details on the Hunting License cost bill.

When contacting your legislator, make sure to refer to proposed bill #115, which is before the Environment Committee.

Don't be a target, be ON target

OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST:
S.B. No. 26 AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPENDITURES OF THE BOATING ACCOUNT. Sen. John McKinney, 28th Dist., Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero, 142nd Dist. To implement the Governor's budget recommendations. REF: Finance, Revenue and Bonding. OPPOSE. Eliminates the Boating Fund.

Proposed S.B. No. 82 AN ACT REPEALING INCREASES IN HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE FEES. Sen. John A. Kissel, 7th Dist. To repeal the increase in hunting and fishing license fees that is part of the recently enacted state budget. REF: Environment.

Proposed S.B. No. 115 AN ACT REDUCING THE RECENT INCREASE IN HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE FEES AND INCREASING CERTAIN MOTOR VEHICLE FEES. SEN. STILLMAN, 20th DIST. To reduce the recent increase in hunting and fishing license fees and offset the reduction in such revenues with an increase in certain motor vehicle fees. REF. ENVIRONMENT. SUPPORT.

Proposed H.B. No. 5080 AN ACT CONCERNING THE INCREASE IN HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE FEES. Rep. Penny Bacchiochi, 52nd Dist. To reduce the increase in hunting and fishing license fees that was made in the current state budget. REF: Environment. SUPPORT.

Proposed H.B. No. 5038 AN ACT CONCERNING SPORTSMEN AND CAMPING FEES. Rep. Bryan Hurlburt, 53rd Dist. To reduce the recent increase in hunting, fishing and camping fees. REF: Environment. SUPPORT.

Thanks to Robert Crook, at the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen

Ice Fishing Derby Winners

Winners:
Largest Fish:
1st place James Bohara, Pickerel, Moodus Reservoir, 5.39 pounds $600
2nd place: Rich Urban; Largemouth Bass, Moodus Res; 4.25 lbs $200
3rd place: Mike Wrobel, Yellow Perch, Lake Heyward, 1.19 lbs $200

Junior winners - received trophys
Austin Urban: Bass, Moodus Res, 3.75 lbs
Cameron Gonzales, Bashan Lake, 1.60 lbs
Chris Czekala, Perch, 1.34 lbs

Ice Fishing Day

You should be signed up by now. We'll see you around weigh-in time.

Coming Up: February 7th

Get ready folks. We have the Ice Fishing Derby in the first part of the day, and Super Bowl on the big screen later on. Pot luck will feed us fine. More to follow

IMAGE CREDITS: 1- The Super Bowl official logo; 2- Yukon Historical Fishing Gallery, Ice fishing, ca. 1930's. (YA, Claude B. Tidd Coll., #7298); a service of the Canadian Government, Oceans, Habitat and Enhancement Branch.

Doubled hunting fees causes more problems; yet solves none

Friday's Hartford Courant had a thoughtful article in it by Dale May, certified wildlife biologist, recently retired from state service with the DEP. In it he says:

"...the changes affect sportsmen most directly, [and] the public should understand that license and permit fees paid by recreational fishermen and hunters, in combination with federal excise taxes they also pay, represent nearly all of the revenue devoted to Connecticut's fish and wildlife, including non-game species. For nearly a century, this user-pay model has been enormously successful in generating predictable annual budgets that have been used to restore and manage our wildlife.

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"The public should understand that license and permit fees paid by recreational fishermen and hunters, represent nearly all of the revenue devoted to Connecticut's fish and wildlife, including non-game species".

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"In the face of an aging sportsmen demographic and broadening wildlife-related mandates, state and federal initiatives have been underway for nearly two decades to expand and strengthen the model by including other constituency groups. Less than a handful of states, however, successfully direct other sources of funding to wildlife — and Connecticut is not one of them. With the gloomy fiscal forecast, it appears Connecticut's wildlife will depend almost solely upon sportsmen for the foreseeable future.

"So, now is not the time to discourage hunting and fishing in Connecticut. Given the budget crisis, most sportsmen would have accepted (albeit unhappily) a fee increase of 20 percent to 25 percent. The 100 percent increase, however, is indefensible. [You can find the complete article here]

Seems he's being immensely diplomatic, while our politicians chose not to be. Now there is an effort being put forward to correct this rank injustice. Contact the governor's office as well as your local legislator [even if he or she is not in favor of hunting] and make your voice heard on this important matter. [here's a set of guidelines on speaking before the legislature.

Don't know your local state representatives? Fird them here.

IMAGE CREDITS: 1- How Stuff Works, with an entry about hunting licenses, special regulations, poaching, and other hunting lore; 2- Terrirman's Daily Dose, the image was used there to a link where one can purchase hunting licenses for most of the lower 48 states.

Fish Derby re-set to February 7th

Bad news folks. We checked the ice this morning and while it is - sort of - walkable in places, it isn't really safe enough to hold the event this week-end.

So we plan on having in next Sunday, February 7th, 2010 instead. This means that the NEW deadline for turning in your entry application at the club [299 East Haddam-Old Colchester Turnpike, Moodus, CT] is next week, Saturday, February 6th between 4 to 6 pm. OR by e-mail to Will by Saturday morning.

By the way, we plan on coming back later on for the Super Bowl Sunday afternoon/evening.

IMAGE CREDIT: New York Times, in an article about what happens when the ice becomes unstable.