Hunters, trappers reminded to buy 2016/17 licenses available July 1

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is pleased to announce publication and widespread availability of the 2016-2017 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. This year’s cover features the winning photograph in the 2015/16 Hunting Photography Contest, “A Day to Remember,” by Lance Barrowcliff of Wilmington. The guide is available now at participating license agents throughout the state, at the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s licensing desk in the Richardson and Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway in Dover and online at 2016-2017 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide.

Hunters and trappers will want to review the guide before heading afield this fall. Season dates for the 2016/17 hunting and trapping seasons are included, as well as a summary of Delaware laws and regulations pertaining to legal harvest of game species. Migratory game bird seasons are also included in the guide for the first time, due to changes in the federal migratory bird regulatory process, meaning separate publication of these seasons at a later date is no longer necessary. Readers can also find information on licensing/permit requirements, hunting opportunities on public lands and classes on hunting and trapping offered by the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Hunter Education Program.

Licenses and waterfowl stamps for the 2016/17 hunting and trapping seasons will go on sale Friday, July 1. “Licenses may be purchased from more than 70 authorized license agents located throughout the state, from DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building or online by visiting us at www.fw.delaware.gov,” said Division of Fish & Wildlife Recreational License Program Coordinator Candace Dunning.

Delaware residents age 16 or older and under the age of 65 and non-residents age 16 or older must purchase an adult license to hunt in Delaware. A junior hunting license is available for youths age 13 through 15. Hunters and trappers who are exempt from purchasing a license must obtain an annual, free License Exempt Number (LEN). Hunters who plan to pursue migratory gamebirds such as ducks, geese and doves, must register for an annual, free Harvest Information Program (HIP) number.

To obtain HIP and LEN numbers or to register a deer harvest from smartphones, tablets or PCs, hunters and trappers should use the Hunter and Trapper Registration System (HTR), available by visiting www.dnrec.delaware.gov/delhunt. To talk to a live customer service representative, please call 855-DELHUNT (855-335-4868).

Hunters age 16 and older who hunt migratory waterfowl, including resident Canada geese, are required to purchase a Delaware Waterfowl Stamp, which is not required for Delaware resident hunters 65 and over. A Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp, available for purchase online and at U.S. Post Offices, is required for all waterfowl hunters age 16 and older; no exemptions are made for persons 65 years or older for purchasing federal stamps.

Hunters who enjoy hunting on state wildlife areas should note that a $20 annual State Wildlife Area Deer Stand/Waterfowl Blind Lottery Permit (formerly referred to as the Public Land Use Permit) is required for any hunter using a state deer stand or waterfowl blind acquired through a daily lottery.

“This permit will be linked to your hunting license or LEN number at the time of purchase. So if you purchase your permit at a later date, please remember to have your hunting license or LEN number,” Ms. Dunning said.

Delaware Waterfowl Stamps and hunting licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware hunting licenses, call 302-739-9918.

Hunters, be AWARE:
The Division of Fish & Wildlife has received calls from hunters who thought they were buying a Delaware hunting license from the website RecreationalLicense.org/hunting when they made a purchase from that site. The private, unaffiliated website does NOT sell licenses, but sells information about hunting and how to obtain hunting licenses for $19.99 – the same information that is readily available for free on the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s website. Delaware hunting licenses, meanwhile, are sold online only on the Division of Fish & Wildlife website, www.fw.delaware.gov, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by authorized license agents statewide. Only the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s website is authorized to sell Delaware fishing and hunting licenses online.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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