Deer Season Opens November 18: Negligent Hunting Charges And Injuries From Stray Shots In Connecticut

Connecticut's private-land shotgun, rifle, and revolver deer season opens Wednesday, November 18, 2026, and runs through December 8, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's 2026 deer hunting rules. Some firearms hunters may already be out: the landowner season opened November 1, and junior hunters with firearms deer permits may hunt during the November 7 to 14 training days.

When a shot goes wrong, Connecticut law can treat it as more than an accident: a hunter can face a criminal charge, a separate DEEP hearing on their license, and a civil claim from the person who was hurt, all from the same moment.

The Four Degrees Of Negligent Hunting In Connecticut

Connecticut's negligent hunting statute, C.G.S. § 53a-217e, sorts hunting offenses into four degrees.

• First degree: with criminal negligence while hunting, firing a loaded hunting implement and causing someone's death. This is a class D felony.
• Second degree: with criminal negligence while hunting, firing a loaded hunting implement and causing someone a serious physical injury. Violating the law against using an artificial light at night to hunt deer (jacklighting, C.G.S. § 26-85) with criminal negligence also falls here. Second degree is a class A misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $400.
• Third degree: while hunting, firing a gun at a time of day when hunting is not permitted, firing from a vehicle, hunting while suspended, hunting out of season, or firing a gun so that the projectile strikes or enters a building occupied by people or domestic animals or used to store flammable or combustible materials. This is a class B misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $200.
• Fourth degree: while hunting, lacking a required license, permit, stamp, or permission; having a loaded hunting implement at a time of day when hunting is not allowed; hunting with or firing a gun too close to an occupied building; or hunting from a public highway, or firing a hunting implement from or across one. This is a class C misdemeanor.

A "loaded hunting implement" covers more than a rifle or shotgun with a live round in the chamber or an attached magazine. It also includes a capped muzzleloader, a primed flintlock, a bow with an arrow nocked, a drawn crossbow with a bolt in place, and a loaded high velocity air gun.

Jacklighting covers more than the shot itself. Under § 26-85, it is illegal to use, try to use, or possess a jacklight to take deer, and to kill or wound a deer with the help of an artificial light between a half hour after sunset and sunrise. One exception is a DEEP permit under C.G.S. § 26-82: a landowner, the landowner's spouse or lineal descendant, or up to three designated agents may get one when deer are damaging the land and the damage cannot be reduced during daylight hours.

The first two degrees turn on criminal negligence. Under C.G.S. § 53a-3, that means failing to see a substantial and unjustifiable risk, where the failure is a gross deviation from the care a reasonable person would use. Whether a shot meets that standard can depend on what the hunter could see, what was behind the target, and whether they identified what they were shooting at.

A serious physical injury, under the same section, is one that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious disfigurement, serious impairment of health, or serious loss or impairment of the function of a bodily organ. A lesser wound does not satisfy the injury requirement for a second degree charge based on a shooting. Causing a physical injury with a gun through criminal negligence, however, can still be charged as assault in the third degree under C.G.S. § 53a-61, and a lesser wound may still support a civil claim.

Hunting while impaired is a separate crime. Under C.G.S. § 53-206d, hunting under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or more (0.02 for a hunter under 21), is a class A misdemeanor.

How Far From A House Someone Can Hunt With A Gun In Connecticut

Connecticut limits how close to a home or other occupied building someone can hunt with a gun. The main rule comes from DEEP's regulations. Under Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 26-66-1(d), no one may hunt with, fire, or carry a loaded firearm within 500 feet of a building occupied by people or domestic animals, or used to store flammable or combustible materials, unless the owner's written permission is carried. For waterfowl hunting in tidal areas from land shooting positions, from floating blinds anchored next to land, or from rock positions, the distance is 250 feet. Landowners, their spouses, and lineal descendants are exempt near their own buildings, and DEEP says the rule does not apply to bowhunting.

Violating that rule can itself be a class D misdemeanor under C.G.S. § 26-71. The negligent hunting statute sets a separate, shorter threshold: hunting with or firing a gun less than 250 feet from such a building, or less than 125 feet in tidal water areas, without the owner's written permission can be charged as fourth degree negligent hunting. So can hunting from a public highway, or firing a hunting implement from or across one. Before hunting near a building, measure the distance and confirm whether written permission or an exception applies.

Sunday Hunting Rules In Connecticut

Under C.G.S. § 26-73, as rewritten in 2025 and amended again in 2026, Sunday hunting is now allowed on private property. It remains closed, however, for migratory birds and on state land and other land that is not private property, and it is barred within 40 yards of a blazed trail open to the public. The negligent hunting statute still lists hunting "on a Sunday" as third degree, and it has not been updated to match. Hunting on Sunday where it remains closed, or too close to a trail, can still be charged. Before hunting on a Sunday, check that the land is private, that you have the owner's written permission, and how far you are from any blazed public trail.

Losing Your Hunting License Or Weapon After A Negligent Hunting Charge

An arrest for the more serious degrees means surrendering your weapon right away. A license suspension can follow a conviction or a separate DEEP hearing.

The gun, bow, or crossbow. A hunter arrested for first, second, or third degree negligent hunting, or for hunting under the influence, must surrender any firearm, bow, crossbow, bolt, or high velocity air gun they had while hunting at the time of the alleged violation. Jacklighting cases follow their own forfeiture rules under § 26-85. Under § 53a-217e, the equipment must be returned within five business days if the charge is dismissed or ends in an acquittal or a nolle. A nolle means the prosecutor has decided not to go forward with the charge. After a conviction, the equipment goes to DEEP.

The license. After a conviction, DEEP may suspend the hunting license:

• indefinitely for first degree, or for hunting under the influence
• up to 10 years for second degree
• up to five years for third degree
• up to three years for fourth degree

A second offense. A hunter convicted of first, second, or third degree negligent hunting, or hunting under the influence, within five years of a prior negligent hunting conviction is a "persistent negligent hunter." The minimum fine doubles, and the hunter faces the penalties of the next more serious degree.

A separate DEEP hearing. Under C.G.S. § 26-62, DEEP must hold a hearing whenever someone uses a hunting weapon to injure or kill a person, injure or kill an animal other than a wild one, or damage another person's property. DEEP may, for cause shown, suspend the license, or the privilege to hunt if there is no license, for as long as it considers advisable. That statute does not depend on a criminal conviction. A hunter whose license is suspended under § 26-62 must finish a remedial hunter education course before the privilege is restored.

What To Do If You Are Investigated Or Charged With Negligent Hunting

If anyone is hurt, call 911 and get them help first. Be cooperative and safe, but talk with a lawyer before giving a detailed written or recorded statement. The criminal case and the license hearing run on separate tracks, and what you say to a conservation officer in the field can come up in both. Keep your summons and any DEEP hearing notice so a lawyer can review the charges and the dates.

What To Do If A Stray Shot Hits You, Your Home, Or Your Animal

Call 911, and get medical care for anyone who is hurt.

Once it is safe, preserve what you can:

• Leave the slug, pellets, or arrow where it is if you can, or photograph it before anyone moves it.
• Photograph the damage, the direction the shot came from, and the nearest tree line or field.
• Write down the time and anything you saw or heard, and who else was nearby.

Restitution And Civil Claims After A Connecticut Hunting Injury

A criminal case may repay some of your losses through restitution. Restitution is not automatic. If the hunter is convicted and you ask for it, and the court finds the offense caused your loss, C.G.S. § 53a-28 requires the court to order restitution on terms it finds appropriate. Restitution covers measurable losses, such as property damage, treatment costs, and lost wages. It does not cover pain and suffering, and the court may decline to set terms if the hunter cannot currently pay. Fines collected under the negligent hunting statute go to the state's Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund rather than directly to the person who was hurt.

For losses restitution does not cover, including pain and suffering, you may need a civil claim against the hunter. That claim turns on ordinary negligence, meaning whether the hunter failed to use reasonable care. That is a lower bar than the criminal standard, so a civil claim may still be possible even if the criminal case is dropped. This is a good point to talk with a lawyer, who can tell you whether a civil claim makes sense and what evidence to keep. Our contact information is also at the end of this post.

A negligence lawsuit for an injury to you or your property generally must be brought within two years from when the injury was first sustained or discovered, or reasonably should have been discovered, and generally no more than three years after the act.

If you were hurt while hunting or hiking on someone else's land for free, the landowner may be protected by Connecticut's recreational land use law, but that protection generally does not apply when the owner charges admission or wilfully or maliciously fails to guard or warn against a danger. It limits claims against the landowner, not against the hunter who fired. We explain these rules in our post on injuries at orchards, corn mazes, and on hikes.

Talk With A New Haven Lawyer About A Hunting Injury Or Charge

If a hunter's shot hurt you or hit your home or animal, contact our office for a free consultation or call us at 203-865-3123. We can review what happened and explain who may be responsible.

If you were charged with negligent hunting or received notice of a DEEP license hearing, contact our office before you give a written or recorded statement, and before the first court date or hearing.