Connecticut Deer Management Zone 12: deer harvest, towns and public land
Hunters took 734 deer on private land in Connecticut's Deer Management Zone 12 in 2025, not counting landowner tags, against 615 in 2024 and a five-year average of 672. In the private land shotgun/rifle season DEEP puts the 2025 harvest at 0.7 deer per square mile, with 33% of hunters successful. The zone covers 502 square miles, 5.7% 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 refugeMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 12Neighboring zonesHighway
| Size | 502 square miles |
|---|---|
| Private land deer, 2025 | 734 (all seasons but landowner) |
| Private land shotgun/rifle, 2025 | 241 deer by about 729 hunters (33% success) |
| Shotgun/rifle harvest per square mile | 0.7 in 2025, 0.5 in 2024 |
| Deer reported in its towns, 2025 | 926 by hunters in 19 towns |
| Public land | 5.7% (18,469 acres) |
| State hunting areas with a page | Cockaponset SF, Nehantic SF, Babcock Pond WMA, Harkness Memorial SP (Verkade Property) |
| 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 12 each year?
Private land deer in every season but the landowner season, 2015 to 2025:
| Year | Private land deer |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 734 |
| 2024 | 615 |
| 2023 | 561 |
| 2022 | 830 |
| 2021 | 619 |
| 2020 | 786 |
| 2019 | 956 |
| 2018 | 1,116 |
| 2017 | 1,212 |
| 2016 | 916 |
| 2015 | 781 |
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 12?
| Year | Deer per square mile | Hunters per square mile | Hunter success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.7 | 2 | 33% |
| 2024 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 29% |
| 2023 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 31% |
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, 358.4.
Which towns in Zone 12 have the most deer reported?
| Town | Archery | Shotgun/rifle | Landowner | Muzzleloader | Hunters' deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Haddam | 46 | 72 | 16 | 12 | 146 |
| Guilford | 76 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 114 |
| Stonington | 62 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 107 |
| Waterford | 52 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 79 |
| Groton | 40 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 65 |
| Lyme | 21 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 56 |
| East Lyme | 27 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 55 |
| Madison | 38 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 51 |
| Old Lyme | 24 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 42 |
| East Haven | 13 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 35 |
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 12 give up the most deer?
| State hunting area | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | DEEP's huntable square miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cockaponset SF | 94 | 100 | 26.85 |
| Nehantic SF | 27 | 7 | 7.91 |
| Babcock Pond WMA | 7 | 4 | 2.36 |
| Harkness Memorial SP (Verkade Property) | 7 | 11 | 0.44 |
| Barn Island WMA | 6 | 8 | 1.58 |
| Menunketesuck WMA | 4 | 2 | 0.26 |
| Messerschmidt Pond WMA | 1 | 1 | 0.72 |
| Eightmile River WMA | 0 | 1 | 0.48 |
| Nott Island WMA | 0 | 0 | 0.13 |
| Selden Neck SP (Selden Island) | 0 | 0 | 0.88 |
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 12?
| 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 12?
5.7% of Zone 12 is public land: 18,469 of its 321,435 acres. The largest share is state forest, 6,303 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 12 |
|---|---|---|
| State forest | 6,303 | 2% |
| State park | 5,442 | 1.7% |
| Wildlife management area | 5,209 | 1.6% |
| Military (closed unless the base allows) | 2,261 | 0.7% |
| Other DEEP land | 844 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge | 671 | 0.2% |
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 12?
| Zone | Private land deer, 2025 | Shotgun/rifle deer per square mile | Hunter success | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 7 | 710 | 0.6 | 31% | 3.9% |
| Zone 8 | 341 | 1 | 24% | 13.9% |
| Zone 9 | 585 | 1 | 34% | 9.4% |
| Zone 10 | 560 | 1.1 | 37% | 14.1% |
| Zone 11 | 1,012 | 0.5 | 26% | 3.3% |
Highways crossing Zone 12: I-95 (146 miles), US 1 (88 miles), CT 156 (23 miles), CT 146 (13 miles), CT 77 (12 miles) and CT 79 (12 miles). Towns inside: Milford city, New Haven, West Haven and New London.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Connecticut Zone 12?
734 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 672; the most since 2015 was 1,212 in 2017.
What share of hunters get a deer in Zone 12?
DEEP's hunter survey puts private land shotgun/rifle success in Zone 12 at 33% in 2025, 29% in 2024 and 31% in 2023, with 2 hunters per square mile in 2025 (CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Table 6).
How many deer can you take in Zone 12 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 12 have the most deer taken?
East Haddam (146), Guilford (114) and Stonington (107) in 2025, counting archery, shotgun/rifle, landowner and muzzleloader deer reported in each town (CT DEEP 2025 Connecticut Deer Program Summary, Appendix 1).
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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.