Brown pheasant in olive oil and one clove of garlic at a low to medium heat (avoid burning the garlic). Remove oil and add wine, seasonings, and tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes and then add all other ingredients. Simmer covered until pheasant is tender. The dish can be served with or without rice or pasta. 

The Barn Island WMA culvert replacement and road maintenance project is nearing completion. The culvert replacement has been completed, and dike roads have been built up, regraded, and the edges reseeded. Repairs to the entrance road and parking lot off Stewart Road will begin shortly. Expect disruption in this area due to the necessary work. Use of Palmer Neck Road and the parking area will not be impeded.

Mulching and mowing operations at Nathan Hale State Forest are complete.

The 24-acre tree removal being conducted at Franklin Swamp WMA has been partially completed. Work will commence again after August 15 and is expected to be completed prior to the start of the majority of hunting seasons.

Portions of the Woodville Block of Wyantenock State Forest remain closed for a 27-acre timber harvest. This closure affects the parking area off Route 341. The spring mud season has led to work delays.

The Pine Mountain Road logging project, off Route 179, in the Hartland Hollow Block of Tunxis State Forest, Barkhamsted, is complete. Wilderness Road, the hunter parking area, and the road system through the gate remain closed in the West Hartland Block of Tunxis State Forest, Hartland. Again, delays due to mud conditions have resulted in the work running late. The job is expected to be completed and the parking area should be available for the fall season.

The first controlled burn took place at Suffield WMA on April 5, 2022. Just under 50 acres were burned, with photos available here thanks to the Journal Inquirer. The 117-acre area has been divided into six burn units that will be treated on a 2-10 year interval to help sustain grasslands on the property.

Details of these projects and further information can be found on the DEEP Habitat Management Page.

From March through June, no additions were made to hunting areas within the state.

Please note: Recently acquired parcels need to be border marked and so indicated as open before hunting can take place. If you have any questions, please contact the district biologist for the area (East: 860-295-9523; West: 860-424-3011).

If you or someone you know is aware of land for sale or donation that would benefit the hunters and trappers of Connecticut, please visit The Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Program webpage for more information.

Would you like to be our next featured hunter?! If so, please send us a short write-up (less than 500 words) about yourself and a photo to deep.ctwildlife@ct.gov, and you may be featured in our next issue!

My passion for deer hunting was inspired by my father. As a child, my younger brother and I would anxiously await his return from the woods to see what stories, and hopefully deer, he would bring home. In middle school, my brother and I took the hunter safety class so we could join our father in the woods. We started participating only in the rifle season and then joined during the archery season several years later. My brother is a natural outdoorsman, having harvested a deer in one of our first few rifle seasons. My hunting career was off to a much slower start. I spent five rifle seasons waking up before dawn, sitting for hours in the dreary November weather watching countless squirrels before I finally had a deer walk within shooting range. That season my patience finally paid off. I harvested a large doe and a small, 6-point buck on the same morning. I was overjoyed with feelings of thankfulness and validation at finally becoming “a hunter”. 

On several occasions, people have asked me about my hobbies and what I do for fun. I always mention that I like to hunt deer. The overwhelming majority of people are surprised and confused why I, a young woman, choose to participate in this “manly sport”. I think most people associate hunting as an activity for men, which makes me seem like an outlier, according to these normal gender expectations. I try to explain that hunting is more than just a “manly sport” that involves harvesting animals. To quote hunter and rock star, Ted Nugent, I hunt for “fun, sport, meat, and trophy”. I hunt for fun because it allows me to connect to God and nature. Sitting still in the woods allows me to clear my head from the distractions of domestic life and talk to God uninterrupted. Additionally, sitting still allows me to notice aspects of the forest that I normally overlook, such as the foraging behavior of songbirds and the varying vocalizations of chipmunks. I hunt for sport because hunting is a challenge. It tests my patience, sometimes going weeks in cold, damp weather without seeing any deer. It tests my composure and aim, keeping calm under pressure to take the shot. It tests my physical strength to track and drag a deer. I hunt for meat because I value being self-sufficient and not relying on a grocery store. I fully process and cook each deer so I know that there are no added preservatives or chemicals that could have adverse health effects. I hunt for trophy because the “trophy is in the eye of the beholder”. Each harvested deer, small or large, buck or doe, represents my memory and pride in my ability to overcome the challenges to accomplish the hunt. 

From writing this article, I hope I can be an inspiration to others, especially women, to pursue hunting. Never be afraid to break free from the expectations of what hobbies women should have. Hunting is more than just a “manly sport”. It is so much more than that.