Devil’s Den Preserve In Weston To Close Some Weekdays For Deer Hunt

WESTON, CT — The Nature Conservancy will hold its annual controlled deer hunt at Devil’s Den Preserve in Weston during the state-designated firearms hunting season for private lands.

The hunt will take place on the following weekdays only: Nov. 20-21; Nov. 25-27; Dec. 2-5; and Dec. 9- 10. Devil’s Den will be closed to visitors on these days, and signs will be posted at all public entrances to the preserve.

"Experienced hunters who have knowledge of the preserve and local area" will hunt only in select areas of the preserve’s interior away from any neighboring properties, TNC officials said in a news release. Signs will be posted at all public entrances to the preserve.

The controlled hunt has been held each fall since 2001, and aims to improve and maintain forest health by reducing the deer population.

In recent decades, the high density of deer in southwestern Connecticut and associated overbrowsing have caused ecological damage in the region’s forests, harming the understory, limiting tree regeneration and contributing to the gradual loss of native flowering plant diversity. according to TNC.