All hunting is prohibited in Westport. It’s the only municipality in the state with such a broad ban.
The ordinance dates back to 1933, when the General Assembly allowed Westport to “regulate, limit or prohibit hunting and trapping.” The reason has been lost in history.
Gradually, limits were set. In 1960 hunting was banned south of I-95, and near the Sherwood Island Connector and Hillspoint Road.
In 1971, all hunting was prohibited throughout Westport. The town was so “sufficiently congested that there presented an acute safety hazard to the people,” a report said.
Bow hunting: Bam — for Bambi.
A reader has noticed the increasing deer population. She writes: “Why is Westport the only town in the state that does not allow bow hunting on properties over 2 acres (as every other town in Connecticut does)? We could safely start to cull what, without such measures, may soon become the majority of inhabitants, surpassing human residents here.”
She wonders whether “06880” readers see bow hunting as a viable alternative to the growing number of deer. Is it an idea whose time has come? Or is it way too dangerous (to people as well as deer)?
Click “Comments” below, to share your thoughts.
Get off my lawn — or I’ll shoot? (Photo/Patricia Auber)
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No Too Dangerous & Sad for the Deer đŚ
I like no hunting in Westport
“First do no harm.”
Hippocratic Oath
The deer situation is out of control. They might be beautiful, but carry disease and are becoming greater safety hazards on the roads. Maybe fertilize them if hunting is not allowed.
Iâve been living here for 16 years and Iâve actually been seeing fewer and fewer deer, we used to regularly see small herds. Iâve seen less wildlife (groundhogs, robins) overall.
You can have my deer!
I DO think that the gradual increase of coyote, fox, and bobcats has cut into the population of smaller critters.
Anecdotally, I have had more fox and coyote sightings in my neighborhood this year, than in the previous 28 years combined. A fox moved into one of the groundhog holes behind my house and had kits! Unfortunately, a coyote ate one of the foxes, leaving a clean skull to be retrieved. And one day, looking out my kitchen window, I saw a bobcat hunched over what we think of as the “chipmunk superhighway.” Despite the encroachment of more fierce predators, rabbits and groundhogs abound. I think the squirrels took the brunt of the demand for dinner.
The birds are another matter, as those numbers have been dramatically down. And I haven’t seen near the number of other pollinators as in the past. Where are the bees and butterflies?
The birds, bees, butterflies and fireflies have all been decimated thanks to everyoneâs obsession with their lawns and their indiscriminate use of Roundup.
They’ve all moved to Fairfield.
it is time there are to many deer here.
One of the most wonderful and distinctive aspects of living in Westport is that there is no hunting. It separates us from the herd of hunters that fills the rest of Connecticut. A Westport without hunting demonstrates our reverence for nature and all its glory.
I too have seen less deer than ever in Westport.
Hunting in such a highly populated area endangers our families and friends.
All animals carry disease, including humans. That’s no excuse for hunting. That’s just biological reality.
I am totally in favor of culling the herd…they’re disease carriers and multiplying at an alarming rate
Hunting them wouldnât be my first choice but with a lack of natural predators itâs the only option. I would hope that hunters would make use of the deer they kill. We are living in their space and they have a right to be in it but we also did away with their predators so they are likely suffering from their own overpopulation. Not to mention, I was attacked by on in my own yard. She had no place better to be.
There is an unfortunate misunderstanding of the broader ecological impact that the overpopulation of deer have on our environment, the human impact of not allowing any hunting, and the importance that deer hunting has on maintaining healthy deer herds in our community. Without hunting Westport has one of the highest densities of deer in the state. Ask any Wesport homeowner how much predation they have on their property, how many unsightly deer fences exist in Westport, how much money is spent on spraying, re-planting, or use of exotic plants that are âdeer friendlyâ, how many car accidents? Having hit two deer in Westport at night I can tell you it is scary, and expensive, and incredibly dangerous. Go hiking in any of our nearby forests and observe the lack of any native habitat understory, ask yourself why there are so many invasive plants, or lack of native understory bird populations, all due to deer pressure as they mow their way uncontrolled through our properties and forests. Bow hunting has been a form of deer management for decades, is safe and effective, yet Westport does not allow it. Bow hunters are safety trained, licensed, and employ proper harvest techniques for personal or food bank purposes. Yes, a deer shot with an arrow does not recognize property boundaries and will need to be tracked. In many communities during hunting season it is not uncommon to have a camo covered individual ask for property access to track their deer, imagine the reaction from many Westporters! We should do a better job of education our community on bow hunting practices, be informed on various hunting seasons (bow: Sept 15-Dec 31), and respect the hunters who abide by state hunting laws. It is time for Westport to change the law and allow bow hunting on private land in town. Talk to a hunter, get to understand their perspective and you too will see the benefit. Or even better, think about getting a license, the proceeds go to the DEP and wildlife/land management purposes, does not mean you even need to hunt, itâs the right thing to do.
Sources/education: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/White-tailed-Deer
https://deerassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2009_Whitetail_Report.pdf
Anyone ask the deer?
Bow nad arrow on 2+ acres. Internally 2+ acres? Not on the edge close to perimeter? Howâs your aim?
Are you going to eat Bambi or take a hero picture and leave him on the side of the road?
As a bowhunter who has probably killed over a 100 deer (with a bow) in Fairfield, Wilton, Weston and New Canaan over the last 30 years Westport’s ordinance makes no sense. It was put in effect before there was even a modern archery hunting season. I’ve shot deer on one side of Sturges Highway in Fairfield legally that somehow becomes a crime if I were to cross the road and do it in Westport.
What do you do once you shoot them Rambo?
Dude, it’s not that hard, they’re mostly domesticated.
Congrats tho – I hope you reply that you completely process the deer and provide the meat to groups who would gladly accept it.
I butcher them myself. Anybody who would kill a deer and not use it isn’t a hunter but a total slob. Years ago I would only shoot one or 2 a year. Then the property owners wanted me to shoot more. I usually keep the backstrap meat for myself. I then package and donate the rest to the Lower Fairfield County Food Bank in Stamford. They don’t even put in in their freezer because it goes so fast. I usually put the donation under the property owners name so they can take it as a tax deduction. I also usually keep some hair from the tails and tie bucktail fishing lures for stripers. I don’t shoot many bucks but when I do the antler becomes a chew toy for my miniature poodle.
Iâm not a Hunter, but Iâve got to believe a quick death from a compound bow is a more humane death versus starving to death in the winter of getting hit by a car and limping away to die in the woods. There are way too many deer in town.
Definitely hunting of deer under those parameters need to happen. Anyone who thinks these Bambiâs are ok in these numbers hasnât hit one with their car. They eat everything in site and ruin many a garden. They are so domesticated now that they donât even run away when you yell at them. They need to be culled!
Itâs difficult to believe that allowing hunting in Westport could seriously make a dent in the deer population in Fairfield County. Sounds like a ploy for more shooting and hunting. After all, what could ever, ever go wrong around the two acre perimeter?
Allow bow hunting in Westport.
Deer spread ticks and the diseases they carry. I’ve had friends contract Lymes, and it’s quite ugly if not caught in time. Deer also damage shrubbery and cause road accidents.
I don’t hunt myself and don’t really approve of it as a form of entertainment, but responsible hunters perform a useful service and should be allowed. They generally use or donate the meat.
Nobody wants to hear guns going off around town, but bows are silent, so bow-hunting offers a good compromise. We should let these people do their thing so long as they obey the rules.
Allow bow hunting in Westport.
Deer spread ticks and the diseases they carry. I’ve had friends contract Lymes, and it’s quite ugly if not caught in time. Deer also cause road accidents and damage shrubbery.
I don’t hunt myself and don’t really approve of it as a form of entertainment, but responsible hunters perform a useful service and should be allowed. They generally use or donate the meat.
Nobody wants to hear guns going off around town, but bows are silent, so bow-hunting offers a good compromise. We should let these people do their thing so long as they obey the rules.
The quantity of deer is extreme and dangerous to drivers as well as being a nuisance to gardens of any kind. And most deer in suburban areas do not die a natural death : they are hit by cars, stuck in fences and generally have a bad ending with much suffering. Humane hunting is the way.
Growing up here, I never saw a deer and we, on Hitchcock Road off Cross, had acres upon acres of woods behind the three houses on the street then. As such, it is plain to see the over development of the town (with basically the same population of 27K) is the cause for the deer to wander into back yards and streets. That said, I was actually attacked by a deer on Evergreen when I slowed to let her flock pass. 6K$ damage to the Buick SUV. Thus, I have mixed emotions. The deer were here first and I have no issue with them grazing on my backyard veggies. I would like to see “open season” on coyotes though.
Bastards.
I suppose in some sense, the deer were here first but they were largely wiped out in Connecticut when the farmers moved in and cleared the land for farming. It wasnât until the mid 1900âs that they started to repopulate which is probably why you didnât see many growing up. In that context, the current overdevelopment isnât really the problem. Minimal hunting and few predators has resulted in the deer population exploding. There are some estimates that there are more deer in CT now than there were before the Mayflower landed.
Actually, Bill, a University of Connecticut study from 1975-2022, indicates that the deer population has decreased in the State from a high in 2000 of over 150K to a decrease in recent years to 110K due to a diminishing corn crop and warmer winters. Seasonal hunting seems to have little impact.
So they have left the cornfields and migrated to lower Fairfield County to feed on our landscaping? Thatâs what vermin do. Or did Westport lose massive amounts of corn acreage?
Actually, found your reference report. The one that has the CT deer population in 1975 at around 37,000 with population peaking in 2000 at 152,000 and fluctuating ever since with the acorn crop. Thatâs consistent with your experience of not seeing many deer when you were growing up.
The CT DEEP, by the way, seems to disagree with your notion that hunting has had little impact. They suggest it has helped to stabilize the population across the state.
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/wildlife/pdf_files/game/deersum2020.pdf
I am not a wildlife biologist, Bill. If your assumption is correct that there are more deer in Westport now, then, perhaps, unwittingly, we have produced some good eats here and a good place to have sex?
We created this mess…as kids you had to go Weston or Easton to be lucky enough to see a deer. We have over built throughout Fairfield County. Not only have we overbuilt, we have allowed clear cutting of trees, and larger coverage for larger homes.
Don’t hunt em’ learn to live with them…
Agreed. All life is precious. All these overinflated stats about the deer population are bogus counts written up by hunters or their representatives. These so called trained Bow Hunters miss many of their targets and maim these creatures,
to create real suffering.
This is why New Yorkers shouldn’t move to the “country”, Go back.
Provincial arenât ya. Silly ass comment.
It’s been a long proven fact that archery hunting can in fact cut the population in urban/suburban areas. Look at how Monmouth County, NJ, has run State Parks hunts including three golf courses safely and successfully now for over 30 years!
In most the the area towns not only is it legal but it is also encouraged. Years ago New Canaan’s first selectman went to large property owners homes to ask them to let people hunt on their property. Wilton keeps a list of hunters names that residents can call.
Does anyone know if there is a more humane way of cutting back on the population? Is a trap/neuter/release an option?
LOL!
Could we sterilize a certain percentage of them? Growing up in Westport, I never saw any deer. They seem to be everywhere now. The herd that frequents our yard is getting more and more brazen.
There are deer at the beach now…. not right now but generally
Leave the animals alone! If you are not happy, then move! They were here first. The animals don’t want you and your perfect house full of pesticides either. People are coming here, destroying everything to build bigger houses, driving like crazy in narrow roads, and then want the animals gone. Leave them alone!!
The biggest predator of deer are automobiles. Cars kill way more deer than wolves and coyotes ever did.
Why do humans always assume it is their right to kill another living being because they deem them a nusince? Sock of this attitude. People are no more important than any other creature.
Very much in favor of bow hunting and other means that help reduce the deer population. Way too many deer that cause disease, car accidents, and destroy ALOT of vegetation throughout town. Nothing cute watching deer starve in the winter. Reduce the population!
be careful with the deer here, I’ve seen a few that look like they have the “zombie deer” thing and you’re not supposed to eat the meat or let the carcass get eaten by other animals
Whatever the answer, hunting, sterilization, relocation, etc., it is irresponsible to allow the deer to reproduce as they have. We live next to Earthplace and the deer have decimated the forest there – no undergrowth or replacement trees survive to replace the fallen trees. In the absence of natural predators, which humans have driven out, it is up to humans to manage these populations. We love seeing deer on our property, but not enough to want to further endanger the ecosystem.
I also live within walking distance of Earthplace and the deer population in and around the Old Hill neighborhood only seems to increase each year. I have also on more occasions than I care to count, as slow as I drive in this predominantly no-sidewalk neighborhood almost collided with deer as they meander in and through these winding streets. If ever surrounding town (and for that matter, ever town in the state other than Westport) has successfully maintained a safe bow hunting program, then why not Westport… It seems this is an issue worth more discussion and if anyone is interested in forming a committee to review, I would be interested in joining.
No hunting in Westport
We have a long-legged overgrown âratâ population – not unlike NYC. Deer are vermin. They are extremely dangerous in their over-populated state – bringing crippling disease – Lyme and causing life threatening car accidents (even driving the speed limit and hitting a deer can cause severe damage to a car and its passengers). Deer also destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars of landscaping planting every year, as well as the natural âunplantedâ vegetation. I have lived in the same house for over 28 years and have witnessed the increasing deer pressure. I once had a wonderful flowering front yard, for all humans to enjoy. We co-existed with the relatively small deer population. We also had coyotes that lived in the back. Then, for some reason, the coyotes disappeared. I havenât seen one in my neighborhood in years, and only hear them once or twice a year. The deer population has increased exponentially over the last many years, creating too much pressure on landscaping. Donât feel sorry for me – we put up deer fencing, and now have gorgeous plants in the back. NIMBY for the deer. Readers should feel sorry for their friends who get LYME, who get in car accidents caused by deer, and for the bees which have less flowers to feed upon. Sure, we could all plant grasses, with no flowering plants. Then the bees would die, and fruits and vegetables would be harder to grow. Life on earth could not exist without bees. Weâd be fine (and healthier) with a lot less deer.