In West Hartford, there were more than 400 sightings of black bears in 2024, and there have been 31 reported thus far this year according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

DEEP data from 2024 shows most bear sightings are in Western Connecticut, especially in Litchfield County. Image from CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection

By Viktoria Sundqvist, CTNewsJunkie.com 

Lawmakers are once again looking to legalize bear hunting in Connecticut and the state’s environmental protection agency says a limited hunting season is necessary to cut down on human-bear conflicts, which are increasing.

“We’d like to target the boldest bears,” said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Mason Trumble. “The ones that are most comfortable around people are the ones that will most likely be killed in a hunt.”

Senate Bill 1523 would authorize DEEP to establish a bear hunting season and it would be up to the department to decide the location, the method, the duration, and the permit fee, if the bill passes.

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