Devil's Den In Weston To Close For Controlled Deer Hunt

WESTON, CT — The Devil's Den nature preserve will be closed to visitors several days in November and December for controlled deer hunts.

The annual hunt will be conducted by The Nature Conservancy.

The hunt will take place on the following weekdays only: November 17–18 (Wednesday, Thursday); November 22–24 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday); November 29–December 2 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday); and December 6–7 (Monday, Tuesday). Signs will be posted at all public entrances to the preserve.

TNC will be is "working with experienced hunters who have knowledge of the preserve and local area. They will work only in select areas of the preserve’s interior, away from neighboring properties," according to a statement from Devil's Den.

The hunt, held annually since the fall of 2001, is meant to improve the health of the woodlands by culling the deer population.

"In recent decades, the high density of deer in southwestern Connecticut and associated over-browsing have caused ecological damage in the region’s forests, harming the understory, limiting tree regeneration and contributing to the gradual loss of native flowering plants" organizers said.