Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 26 - Fisheries and Game › 66 - Hunting and Trapping › Reptiles and Amphibians › Section 26-66-14 - Seasons, Bag Limits, and Methods for Taking Reptiles

Current through July 10, 2024
(a)
				There shall be no open season for taking Bog Turtles, (Glyptemys muhlenbergii),
				Wood Turtles, (Glyptemys insculpta), Diamondback Terrapins, (Malaclemys
				terrapin), Eastern Box Turtles, (Terrapene c. carolina), and Spotted Turtles,
				(Clemmys guttata) in any developmental stage.
(b) The open season for taking Black Rat
				Snakes, Elaphe o. obsoleta, shall be from May 1 through August 31. During the
				open season, Black Rat Snakes shall only be taken by hand or hand-held
				implement. The daily and season bag limit shall not exceed one (1). However,
				there shall be no open season for taking eggs of this species.
(c) Repealed
(d) Seasons, bag limits, size restrictions,
				methods and gear limitations for taking common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra
				serpentina).
(1) The open season for taking
				snapping turtles shall be from July 15 through September 30.
(2) The daily bag limit shall be five (5) and
				the seasonal bag limit shall be ten (10).
(3) During the open season only snapping
				turtles having a straight line upper shell (carapace) length of 13 inches
				minimum shall be taken. There is no open season for taking snapping turtle
				eggs. Nests shall not be disturbed without prior authorization from the
				Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
(4) Snapping Turtles may be taken by hand,
				dip net, turtle hook, floating or non-floating turtle trap, and personally
				attended hook and line only. The use of firearms, poison, explosives, seines,
				gill nets or fyke nets is prohibited.
(5) No person may set, place or attend more
				than three (3) total turtle traps at any given time. Traps used shall be
				constructed and set in a manner to allow turtles to surface and breathe, and
				shall be constructed of mesh at least one inch wide at the narrowest
				measurement. All traps shall have a functional escape hole provided with a
				minimum diameter in all directions of 7.5 inches to allow the passage of fish
				and small turtles. Trap size shall not exceed 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet, except
				that hoop-style traps may be up to 84" in total length. Traps shall be tagged
				with a plate or tag visible above the water line bearing the Conservation
				Identification Number of the user. No person shall use a turtle trap without
				obtaining a snapping turtle trapping endorsement on such person's Conservation
				License. Such endorsement shall be issued without fee and shall be carried at
				all times while engaged in turtle trapping. Only the operator identified on the
				tag may tend the trap. All traps shall be lifted or tended and emptied of catch
				at least once in a 24 hour period. Any wildlife otherwise protected shall be
				immediately released at the point of capture.
(6) No person shall use a turtle trap on any
				body of water owned, leased or otherwise under control of the department
				without written authorization from the department.
(7) The restrictions in subdivisions (1),
				(2), (3) and (5) of this subsection shall not apply to private pond or lake
				owners or owners of aquaculture facilities trapping for the purposes of
				releasing turtles back into the wild at another location.