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100 Best Public-Land Hunts: Connecticut
Pachaug State Forest
Location: east Connecticut
Size: 25,109 acres
ZIP: 06384
Huge by Connecticut standards, Pachaug does not support the high deer densities of the southwestern urban areas, which approach a whopping 120 deer per square mile. However, it does hold out the promise of bigger bucks, says Andrew Labonte, wildlife technician with the Connecticut Bureau of Natural Resources. Open to firearms, muzzleloader and archery hunting during the lottery A-season and the later open B-season, this state forest has expansive stands of conifer and deciduous forests scattered across terrain that varies from hills to wetlands. There's no active forest management, so Pachaug bucks will depend heavily on the property's white oak stands for mast.
Natchaug State Forest
Location: east Connecticut
Size: 13,311 acres
ZIP: 06242
Located at the junction of the Bigelow and Still Rivers, about 90 miles from Pachaug, Natchaug features a similar landscape of hills and marshes. Hardwood stands dominate this forest, with some white pine and hemlock mixed in. From 2004 to 2006, only 80 percent of tags handed out during the lottery A-season were claimed, which would seem to indicate that hunting pressure is relatively light. The later B season is open to all comers. "If people are looking for a place to hunt where they're going to have a quality experience, both of these state forests are good," Labonte says, "and both offer a relatively high likelihood of harvesting a bigger deer."
They need some game management!
Posted by: adam | January 20, 2008 at 07:10 PM
I dont have privite land so al i have is state land to hunt and with very few farms or crops so the deer are true wild feeding. Its hard to know were and what they are feeding on,to get that big buck any tips please send to me.
Posted by: JOE JANIAK : i would like to hear story too , very big deer, wish was under my belt. im from CT | February 24, 2008 at 10:54 AM
I dont have private land to hunt on and theres not much of crops or farms to speak of,so i hunt state land only.I looking for tips of how to pattern doe's feeding habbits on state land in the fall when there's acorns every were in the forests.I have followed them in the summer ,but in the fall i loose them do to the acorns.I'm trying to figure them out in the fall.
Posted by: JOE : | February 25, 2008 at 10:16 AM