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Discover Outdoor Connecticut Photo Contest
The Discover Outdoor Connecticut Photo Contest was held for a second year in a row as part of our Discover Outdoor Connecticut Day. We received approximately 330 entries in 4 categories: Wildlife, Scenic, People in the Outdoors, and Youth. A panel of judges selected first through third place winners in each category. Pictured is one of the winning entries in the Wildlife category by Peter DeGennaro from Plainville.

2019: Make a Difference for Wildlife
There are plenty of simple ways to help wildlife, and each month we will highlight an action you can take to benefit the species that call Connecticut home.

Go easy on fall yard work. Taking a more laid back approach to tidying up your yard this fall will actually benefit many species of birds by the time winter arrives. Leaving leaves on your lawn will provide a place for insects and birds to forage for food. Rather than removing tree limbs from your yard, consider creating brush piles that will provide shelter for birds from tough winter weather and predators.

Upcoming Fall Hunting Seasons
The fall hunting season is here, and several seasons are set to open in October.
  • The fall firearms turkey season opens on Saturday, October 5. 
  • The early waterfowl season opens Saturday, October 12. Please consult the 2019-2020 Migratory Bird Hunting Guide for specific details.
  • Junior Waterfowl Hunter Training Days are on Saturday, October 5 and Saturday, November 2. Junior Pheasant Hunter Training Day is on Saturday, October 12 (more details).
  • The small game hunting season opens on Saturday, October 19.
REMEMBER: Your purchase of hunting equipment and licenses helps fund wildlife habitat acquisition and management, wildlife research, and hunter safety education.

Pheasant Stocking for the 2019 Hunting Season
This year, 20,000 adult pheasants will be purchased for stocking during the pheasant hunting season. Stocking will occur on 3 extra weekends this year. The first will be for Junior Pheasant Hunter Training Day on October 12, 2019. On this weekend, approximately half of the areas statewide will be stocked.  Pheasants also will be stocked for the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the first Saturday in December, weather permitting, on roughly half of the areas each week.

Puritan Tiger Beetle Research Featured on WNPR
WNPR did a great job highlighting crucial efforts to restore the Puritan tiger beetle population along the shores of the Connecticut River. This beetle was once commonly found along the Connecticut River, but climate change, dam construction, and flooding have greatly reduced its range. As a result of these factors, the Puritan tiger beetle is endangered in Connecticut and threatened federally.

Bobcat Research Project Update
Photo courtesy of J. Isaac Doty
This year, approximately 50 bobcats were fitted with GPS collars as part of the Wildlife Division's ongoing Bobcat Research Project. All of these collars are programmed to automatically detach from the animals after 300 days from when they were deployed. The collars for the 2018-2019 study season started detaching from bobcats in August 2019 and will continue dropping off through January 2020. Bobcat Project staff will be using radio telemetry equipment to locate and recover the detached collars. 

Bring Birds Back
A recently published study has found that the U.S. and Canada have lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the past 50 years -- almost 3 billion. The losses include iconic species, including the Eastern meadowlark, dark-eyed junco, and white-throated sparrow. These disappearances indicate a shift in our ecosystems' ability to support basic birdlife. The Recovering America's Wildlife Act (HR 3742) would go a long way towards the proactive conservation needed to turn this trend around!

Motorists - Watch Out for Deer and Moose
Please watch for deer and moose along roadways, especially during early morning and evening hours. September through October is the peak of the breeding season for Connecticut's small moose population, which mainly resides in the northern part of the state. The breeding season (also known as "the rut") for white-tailed deer closely follows the moose breeding season, running from late October through late December.

Take Precaution Against Mosquito Bites
Residents, especially those in the southeastern part of the state from the lower Connecticut River Valley to the Rhode Island border, are advised to protect themselves and their children by taking personal precautions to prevent mosquito bites until the first hard frost of the fall. Consideration should also be given to minimizing outdoor activity from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active. The Department of Public Health announced on Oct. 1, 2019, that a third person has died this year in CT from Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and a fourth person remains hospitalized due to EEE.

Upcoming Hunter Education Courses for November
Conservation Education/Firearms Safety courses are administered by the Wildlife Division and taught throughout the year by a dedicated corps of certified volunteer instructors. Certifications are offered in the disciplines of firearms hunting, bowhunting, and trapping. Following is a list of upcoming courses for the month of November. These courses post for registration 30 days prior to their start date.  Please note: Courses can be scheduled at any time, and this may not be a final list of the month's offerings.

Firearms:
- Durham: November 10 and 17

Bowhunting:
- Norfolk: November 10

Coyote Land Trapping:
- Burlington: November 17 

Species of the Month: Mink
Minks are semi-aquatic members of the Mustelidae (weasel) family. Equipped with partially webbed feet, they are very capable swimmers that prey on fish, amphibians, reptiles, and even small mammals. Catching a glimpse of a mink can be difficult, as they typically remain in thick, marshy vegetation and are most active at night. 

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