Connecticut Deer Management Zone 11: deer harvest, towns and public land
Hunters took 1,012 deer on private land in Connecticut's Deer Management Zone 11 in 2025, not counting landowner tags, against 901 in 2024 and a five-year average of 938. In the private land shotgun/rifle season DEEP puts the 2025 harvest at 0.5 deer per square mile, with 26% of hunters successful. The zone covers 645 square miles, 3.3% of it public land.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary. Seasons: CT DEEP 2026 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide. Land: DEEP and PAD-US.
Wildlife management areaState forestState parkOther DEEP landNational wildlife refugeNational Park ServiceZone 11Neighboring zonesHighway
| Size | 645 square miles |
|---|---|
| Private land deer, 2025 | 1,012 (all seasons but landowner) |
| Private land shotgun/rifle, 2025 | 145 deer by about 564 hunters (26% success) |
| Shotgun/rifle harvest per square mile | 0.5 in 2025, 0.4 in 2024 |
| Deer reported in its towns, 2025 | 1,266 by hunters in 21 towns |
| Public land | 3.3% (13,444 acres) |
| State hunting areas with a page | Paugussett SF, Collis P. Huntington SP, Pootatuck SF, Bennett's Pond SP |
| Private land firearms bag, 2026 | 1 either-sex and 1 antlerless, plus 2 more antlerless in Zones 11 and 12 |
| January archery | Yes, January 1 to 31 on private land |
How many deer are taken in Zone 11 each year?
Private land deer in every season but the landowner season, 2015 to 2025:
| Year | Private land deer |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,012 |
| 2024 | 901 |
| 2023 | 865 |
| 2022 | 989 |
| 2021 | 922 |
| 2020 | 1,329 |
| 2019 | 1,148 |
| 2018 | 1,440 |
| 2017 | 1,666 |
| 2016 | 1,538 |
| 2015 | 1,321 |
Source: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Table 11. The zone rows add up to the table's statewide total in every year.
How crowded and how successful is the shotgun/rifle season in Zone 11?
| Year | Deer per square mile | Hunters per square mile | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 26% |
| 2024 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 19% |
| 2023 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 24% |
Source: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Table 6, from DEEP's hunter survey of private land shotgun/rifle hunters. Square miles here are DEEP's huntable area for the zone, 291.5.
Which towns in Zone 11 have the most deer reported?
| Town | Archery | Shotgun/rifle | Landowner | Muzzleloader | Hunters' deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newtown | 119 | 40 | 0 | 4 | 163 |
| Wilton | 81 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 111 |
| Redding | 60 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 90 |
| Ridgefield | 74 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 85 |
| Fairfield | 66 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 82 |
| Easton | 50 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 76 |
| Sherman | 46 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 64 |
| Danbury | 37 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 63 |
| Bethel | 29 | 8 | 19 | 3 | 59 |
| Monroe | 44 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 56 |
Source: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Appendix 1. Each town is listed under the zone that holds its centre, so a town on a zone line counts wholly on one side.
Which state hunting areas in Zone 11 give up the most deer?
| State hunting area | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | DEEP's huntable square miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paugussett SF | 12 | 9 | 3.04 |
| Collis P. Huntington SP | 11 | 6 | 1.61 |
| Pootatuck SF | 4 | 2 | 1.72 |
| Bennett's Pond SP | 3 | 4 | 0.72 |
| East Swamp WMA | 2 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Centennial Watershed SF (Canaan Block) | 1 | 1 | 0.23 |
Source: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Appendix 2; CT DEEP 2024 Connecticut Deer Program Summary.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in Zone 11?
| Season | Dates, 2026 | Bag |
|---|---|---|
| Archery, private land | September 15 to December 31; January 1 to 31, 2027 in Zones 11 and 12 | 2 either-sex and 2 antlerless; 1 more of each in the January season |
| Archery, state land | September 15 to November 17 and December 23 to 31 (bowhunting-only areas September 15 to December 31) | Same archery tags |
| Junior deer hunter training days | November 7 to 14 | Junior hunters with firearms deer permits |
| Shotgun/rifle, private land | November 18 to December 8 | 1 either-sex and 1 antlerless, plus 2 more antlerless in Zones 11 and 12 |
| Shotgun, state land (lottery and no-lottery) | November 18 to December 8 (lottery A season November 18 to 27) | By permit |
| Muzzleloader, private land | December 9 to 31 | 1 either-sex and 1 antlerless, plus 2 more antlerless in Zones 11 and 12 |
| Muzzleloader, state land | December 9 to 22 | By permit |
| Landowner | November 1 to December 31 | Owners of 10 or more acres and family |
Sunday deer hunting is allowed on private land only, not within 40 yards of blazed public trails. Bowhunters wear 400 square inches of fluorescent orange from November 18 to December 31.
Source: CT DEEP 2026 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide.
How much public land is in Zone 11?
3.3% of Zone 11 is public land: 13,444 of its 412,639 acres. The largest share is state forest, 7,256 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 11 |
|---|---|---|
| State forest | 7,256 | 1.8% |
| State park | 3,418 | 0.8% |
| Other DEEP land | 1,437 | 0.3% |
| Wildlife management area | 547 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 433 | 0.1% |
| National Park Service | 353 | 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside DEEP's zone line from Connecticut DEEP Property for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land. Not every acre of DEEP land is open to deer hunting; DEEP's guide lists the state lands open to each season.
Which zones border Zone 11?
| Zone | Private land deer, 2025 | Shotgun/rifle deer per square mile | Hunter success | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 432 | 0.6 | 25% | 14.2% |
| Zone 6 | 392 | 0.6 | 34% | 2.3% |
| Zone 7 | 710 | 0.6 | 31% | 3.9% |
| Zone 12 | 734 | 0.7 | 33% | 5.7% |
Highways crossing Zone 11: CT 15 (75 miles), I-95 (69 miles), US 7 (47 miles), US 1 (42 miles), CT 25 (38 miles) and I-84 (37 miles). Towns inside: Danbury, Stamford, Shelton and Norwalk.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Connecticut Zone 11?
1,012 on private land in 2025, counting archery, shotgun/rifle and muzzleloader but not landowner tags (CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Table 11). The five years to 2025 averaged 938; the most since 2015 was 1,666 in 2017.
What share of hunters get a deer in Zone 11?
DEEP's hunter survey puts private land shotgun/rifle success in Zone 11 at 26% in 2025, 19% in 2024 and 24% in 2023, with 1.9 hunters per square mile in 2025 (CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Table 6).
How many deer can you take in Zone 11 in 2026?
On private land in the shotgun/rifle and muzzleloader seasons: 1 either-sex and 1 antlerless, plus 2 more antlerless in Zones 11 and 12 (CT DEEP 2026 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide). Archery tags allow 2 either-sex and 2 antlerless deer, with 1 more of each in the January 1 to 31 private land season.
Which towns in Zone 11 have the most deer taken?
Newtown (163), Wilton (111) and Redding (90) in 2025, counting archery, shotgun/rifle, landowner and muzzleloader deer reported in each town (CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Appendix 1).
Get a Connecticut hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Connecticut are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Connecticut included.
Where these numbers come from
- Harvest: CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary; DEEP 2024 deer summary; DEEP 2023 deer summary; DEEP 2022 deer summary.
- Seasons and bag limits: CT DEEP 2026 Connecticut Hunting and Trapping Guide.
- Zone boundary: Connecticut DEEP Deer and Turkey Management Zones. Public land: Connecticut DEEP Property for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Numbers are copied from DEEP and federal sources or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.