Connecticut Allows Gray Squirrel Hunting for Most of the Year, but Backyard Shooting and Poison Remain Tightly Restricted
November 14, 2026
Can you kill squirrels in Connecticut? Yes, but only in specific ways. Gray squirrels are a legal game species with a long hunting season, and a landowner dealing with damage has trapping options, yet none of that means you can shoot or poison them whenever and wherever you like.
The answer depends on the species, the time of year, the method, and where you are standing. This article walks through each of those factors so you know what is allowed before you set a trap or pick up a firearm.
Can You Kill Squirrels in Connecticut?
You can kill gray squirrels in Connecticut through licensed hunting during the open season, and through a limited set of legal trapping methods when they cause property damage. Outside those channels, the options narrow quickly. Flying squirrels, for example, can only be taken by a nuisance wildlife control operator holding a special permit.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) regulates all of this. Its Wildlife Division is the agency that sets seasons, licenses operators, and answers questions at 860-424-3011.
| Situation | Generally Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Hunting gray squirrels in season with a license | Yes |
| Live-trapping a squirrel causing damage on your property | Yes, with conditions |
| Kill-trapping with smooth wire traps | Yes, under state trapping rules |
| Using gas, smoke, or explosives to take squirrels | No |
| Taking flying squirrels yourself | No, special permit required for operators |
Are Squirrels Protected in Connecticut?
Gray squirrels are not fully protected. They are classified as a small game mammal, which means the state manages them through regulated seasons and bag limits rather than banning take altogether. That status is why you can hunt them, and it is also why you cannot kill them any way you want.
State law makes the boundary clear. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 26-88, no one may take a gray squirrel by explosives, fire, smoke, gas, or chemicals, or by digging it from a den, while shooting remains permitted. The statute makes a violation a class C misdemeanor, according to the Justia copy of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Key Insight: “Not fully protected” does not mean “unregulated.” Every legal way to kill a squirrel in Connecticut runs through a season, a license, or a nuisance-control rule.
Which Squirrel Species Can You Kill in Connecticut?
The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is the species with a defined hunting season. It is the common squirrel you see in yards, parks, and woodlots across the state, and it is the one covered by the bag limits below.
Flying squirrels are treated differently. DEEP’s nuisance wildlife rules, as reproduced in a town-hosted DEEP directory, list flying squirrels among species a nuisance wildlife control operator may take only with a special permit. As a homeowner, you should not trap or kill them yourself. Call a licensed operator or DEEP.
Squirrel Hunting Season and Limits in Connecticut 2026-27
The 2026 season for gray squirrel runs in two segments. DEEP lists the dates as Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 and Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, with a daily limit of 8 and a season limit of 40. Those figures come from the DEEP small game hunting page.
| Item | Gray Squirrel Rule |
|---|---|
| Fall Segment | Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 |
| Winter Segment | Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 |
| Daily Limit | 8 |
| Season Limit | 40 |
Sunday hunting matters here too. Small game hunting is allowed on Sundays on private land only. Effective October 1, 2026, written permission is no longer required for Sunday small game hunting on private land, though verbal permission from the landowner is still required every day of the week.
Pro Tip: Count every squirrel you take toward the 40-squirrel season limit. The daily limit of 8 is easy to track, but the season cap is the one hunters overlook.
Do You Need a License to Kill Squirrels in Connecticut?
For hunting, yes. DEEP’s small game rules call for a firearms or archery hunting license. Connecticut also requires hunters to carry permission from the landowner on private property, as noted above.
For pest control as a business, a separate license applies. Connecticut General Statutes section 26-47(b)(1), as DEEP explains it, requires a nuisance wildlife control operator license before a person engages in the business of wildlife control. To get one, an applicant completes a DEEP-approved training class and passes the state exam. DEEP’s NWCO application lists the commercial license fee at $250 for two years.
Can You Kill Squirrels Damaging Your Property in Connecticut?
You have options when squirrels chew wiring, nest in your attic, or raid gardens, but DEEP leans toward prevention first. Its squirrel nuisance page recommends blocking entry holes (after confirming no animal is trapped inside), trimming overhanging limbs, and using half-inch wire mesh where chewing persists.
When those steps fail, trapping is the property owner’s main tool. DEEP’s homeowner brochure says live trapping may be recommended to remove animals causing property damage or health and safety threats. If you would rather not handle it, a licensed operator can do the work.
Common Mistake: Sealing an attic hole while a squirrel or its young are still inside. Adults will chew through to get back to their babies, which usually makes the damage worse.
Can You Kill Squirrels in Your Yard or City in Connecticut?
Hunting rules and local rules are separate questions. Even during open season, you need landowner permission to hunt, and a town may restrict discharging firearms or air guns near homes. A pellet gun in a suburban yard can bring a police call, which is exactly what one Connecticut forum thread describes.
Because ordinances differ by town, call your local police department or town hall before discharging any weapon in a residential area. If a municipal rule is stricter than the state’s, the stricter rule governs where you are standing. In dense neighborhoods, trapping or hiring an operator is usually the safer route.
What Methods Are Legal for Killing Squirrels in Connecticut?
During the hunting season, you can take gray squirrels by shooting, and Connecticut law expressly preserves shooting as a lawful method. DEEP’s hunting guide sets the weapons allowed for each species, so check the current 2026 hunting guide for what counts as legal equipment.
For trapping, DEEP’s brochure allows kill traps only as specified: smooth wire traps set in accordance with CGS Sec. 26-72 and Regulation of State Agencies 26-66-5. Traps must be tagged with the trapper’s name and placed where pets and people cannot reach them.
- Allowed: shooting in season, live cage traps, smooth wire kill traps set under state rules
- Not allowed: explosives, fire, smoke, gas, chemicals, or digging animals out of dens
- Restricted: flying squirrels, which require an operator’s special permit
Can You Trap Squirrels in Connecticut?
Yes. DEEP calls live-trapping with metal box traps at least two feet long often the most effective way to remove gray squirrels. The state’s homeowner guidance sets the rules for cage traps in four points.
- Use a properly sized cage trap tagged with your name.
- Check the trap once every day.
- Release or euthanize the trapped animal within 24 hours.
- Never trap species that require a special permit, such as foxes, coyotes, beaver, fisher, muskrat, mink, and otter.
Euthanasia must be humane and legal. If you are not prepared to do it correctly, release the animal as directed or hire a licensed operator.
Can You Relocate Squirrels in Connecticut?
DEEP’s guidance points to releasing squirrels at the capture site rather than hauling them elsewhere. Its squirrel page says trapped squirrels should be quickly removed from cages and released. The WildlifeHelp.org Connecticut guidance, supported by state wildlife agencies, recommends releasing squirrels in your yard after you fix what attracted them.
Release only works if you also close the entry points. DEEP warns that trapping alone is a temporary fix because other squirrels move into the vacated area. Pair trapping with exclusion, pruning, and securing food sources.
Is Poisoning Squirrels Legal in Connecticut?
No. Under § 26-88, taking a gray squirrel by gas, chemicals, smoke, or explosives is prohibited, and a violation is a class C misdemeanor. That language covers poison baits and fumigants used to kill squirrels directly.
Beyond the legal risk, poison harms pets, hawks, owls, and other wildlife that eat a poisoned animal. It also leaves carcasses inside walls and attics. If you want a lethal option, use legal trapping or call a licensed operator.
Who Can Remove Squirrels for You in Connecticut?
A DEEP-licensed nuisance wildlife control operator is the right call for attic nesting, repeated damage, or flying squirrels. DEEP offers referrals to licensed operators at 860-424-3011 or deep.wildlife@ct.gov, and keeps a public NWCO directory of licensed operators.
Before you hire, ask for the operator’s DEEP certificate number, which follows a format like N0500. Confirm the company is licensed for wildlife work, since insurance alone does not replace the state license. You can also browse operators who list tree squirrel removal through WildlifeHelp.org’s professional finder.
If you live elsewhere, other states handle wildlife damage differently. Our guides on killing raccoons in Texas and raccoon rules in California show how much state law varies, and Pennsylvania’s roadkill laws cover a related question for a neighboring state.