Staff presented background research on municipal bow‑hunting and deer‑management programs in Connecticut and reported hunter-registration numbers for 2024 from local check stations: 17 archery‑tagged deer and 18 taken with firearms within the Torrington reporting area, with a total of 45 registered takes across locations referenced in staff materials.

Commissioners discussed differences between towns that run hunts primarily for deer-control versus those that permit limited recreational hunts. Staff emphasized that the local land‑use pattern and significant recreational use (for example at Sunnybrook) complicate the idea of opening city properties for hunting, and noted safety and boundary‑compliance concerns. The 2010 Yale study referenced by staff suggested limited evidence that hunting alone correlates strongly with forest‑community impacts, which some commissioners cited in support of not pursuing a program at this time.

The commission concluded that there is not a strong local impetus for creating a bow‑hunt program now; members asked staff to remove the item from the next meeting agenda unless new evidence or community demand emerges. Any future proposal would require detailed safety protocols, administrative capacity to issue permits, and clear goals (recreation versus deer‑control).