Now available throughout the state and online from DNREC, the 2026-27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide
highlights revised regulations and the season dates for hunting wild game /Guide cover photo by April Doyle

New Rules Include Sunday Hunting for all Game Species
and Updates About Chronic Wasting Disease in the State

Delaware hunters and trappers have new rules to know before their seasons begin this year. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has released the 2026/27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide, which is now available at participating license agents statewide, at the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s licensing desk in Dover and on the de.gov/hunting webpage. Key changes this year include expanded Sunday hunting for all game species and an update on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which was recently detected in Delaware.

The guide lists season dates for the 2026/27 hunting and trapping seasons, as well as a summary of Delaware laws and regulations for legal harvest of game animals and gamebirds. Hunting and trapping regulation changes for the upcoming season include:

• Expanded caliber options for straight-walled pistol-caliber rifles and specifications for muzzleloaders used for deer hunting.
• Expanded Sunday hunting opportunities for all game species.
• Removal of minimum age requirements for youth hunts
• Authorization of motorized electric carts, wagons and wheelbarrows on wildlife areas
• Extension of the spring wild turkey season to include the final Sunday
• Establishment of a year-round coyote season.

Details on these and other changes can be found throughout the guide. While the CWD section of this guide has been updated, additional information will be available in an addendum later this summer at all locations where hunting guides are distributed and also will be updated in the online guide.

Hunters and trappers can also find information in the guide on licensing/permit requirements, including the hunting and trapping license fee structure. Public land hunting opportunities, hunting and trapping classes offered by the division’s Hunter Education Program, and other helpful hunting, trapping and wildlife information are also included in the guide. Information can be found within the guide about the Conservation Access Pass used for additional recreational interests on state wildlife areas.

This year’s guide cover features “Wild Turkey,” a photo by April Doyle, taken of a turkey on the Bombay National Wildlife Refuge and selected from the 2026 DNREC Photo Contest.

Hunting licenses and Delaware waterfowl stamps can be purchased online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway in Dover and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, visit the de.gov/licenseagents webpage. To purchase a license online, visit the Digital DNREC webpage. For more information about Delaware hunting and trapping licenses, visit the de.gov/licensing webpage.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 75,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife.  For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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