Delaware deer hunters will be afield hoping to harvest a white-tailed trophy buck when the state’s general firearm deer season – known to hunters as the shotgun season – opens Friday, Nov. 10. /USFWS photo

Cottontail Rabbits, Ring-necked Pheasant, and Bobwhite Quail Seasons All Set to Open Monday, Nov. 20 Across State

Many Delaware hunting seasons are to open or are already open this month, including the popular November general firearm deer season, also known as the shotgun season, which runs from Friday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 19, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Duck, Canada goose and other hunting seasons open later in the month on Nov. 20.

Meanwhile, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife is clarifying season dates for small game, due to incorrect dates listed in print copies of the 2023/’24 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide on the seasons for cottontail rabbits, ring-necked pheasants, and bobwhite quail.  Hunting season for all three species will open on Monday, Nov. 20 – instead of Nov. 21 as indicated the print version of the hunting and trapping guide. The online version of the guide has been updated to reflect the correct dates for small game seasons.

Dates for all hunting seasons opening in November are:

• Raccoon and opossum (hunt only): Nov. 1 through Feb. 29, 2024*
• Red fox (hunt only): Nov. 1 through Feb. 29, 2024
• Deer general firearm/shotgun: Nov. 10 through 19, including all Sundays
• Tundra swan (by special permit ONLY): Nov. 11 through Jan. 31, 2024
• Woodcock (first season split): Nov. 20 through Nov. 25
• Ducks (including sea ducks), coots and mergansers (second season split): Nov. 20 through Nov. 25
• Bobwhite quail: Nov. 20 through Jan. 6, 2024
• Mourning dove (second season split): Nov. 20 through Jan. 31, 2024
• Ring-necked pheasant (male only): Nov. 20 through Feb. 3, 2024
• Cottontail rabbit: Nov. 20 through Feb. 29, 2024
• Canada goose (first season split): Nov. 20 through Nov. 25

*Raccoon and opossum hunting seasons are closed during the November youth/non-ambulatory deer hunt and the November general firearm/shotgun deer season. Special hunting hours for raccoon and opossum during the December antlerless, January handgun/straight-walled pistol-caliber rifle, January general firearm/shotgun and January muzzleloader deer seasons are 7 p.m. until midnight.

More information on hunting seasons and wildlife areas is available in the 2023/2024 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide at de.gov/hunting. More information on hunting licenses, the state waterfowl stamp and the Conservation Access Pass is available at de.gov/huntinglicense.

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 nearly 68,000 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 Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

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The wildlife viewing deck at the Port Penn Tract of the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Augustine Beach Wildlife Area. /DNREC photo

DNREC Expanding Elevated Vistas to Provide Opportunities to View Wildlife in Coastal Wetlands and Adjoining Uplands

Wildlife viewing is quickly becoming a favorite outdoor activity, attracting both Delaware residents and visitors who want to enjoy the splendor of the First State’s outdoor natural spaces. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control provides numerous outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands, including elevated wildlife-viewing structures on several state wildlife areas managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Since 2013, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has focused on expanding outdoor recreation opportunities in state wildlife areas. With planning and public input, new wildlife-viewing structures have been constructed in the Augustine Wildlife Area near Port Penn and the Little Creek Wildlife Area east of Dover, with additional wildlife-viewing structures planned for the Ted Harvey Conservation Area near Bowers Beach and the Milford Neck Wildlife Area east of Milford.

The new structures expand upon existing wildlife viewing opportunities, including the Division of Fish and Wildlife-managed Aquatic Resources Education Center’s saltmarsh boardwalk trail located in the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, the deck at the Division of Fish and Wildlife-managed DuPont Nature Center overlooking the Mispillion Harbor, and the Assawoman Wildlife Area’s observation tower that stands 40 feet above the wetlands.

Almost all these facilities are accessible to individuals with mobility challenges, including accessible parking, hard-packed trail surfaces and portable restrooms. Interpretive signs at a number of viewing locations help educate visitors about the wildlife they might encounter or about observed wildlife habitats. A new DNREC webpage includes more information about the elevated viewing structures, photographs of them, wildlife most likely to be seen, links to maps of a specific wildlife area where a viewing structure is located, and information about the Conservation Access Pass (CAP).

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife are required to have and display a CAP, except at the Aquatic Resources Education Center and DuPont Nature Center. To obtain a CAP, visitors will need the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned – with the exception of the Resident Senior Lifetime Conservation Access Pass available to Delaware residents aged 65 or older. More information about the CAP – which may be purchased online at de.gov/digitaldnrec, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide – can be found at de.gov/cap.

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 nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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A Northern pintail drake, a duck also known to wildlife watchers and hunters as a “bull sprig” for its graceful and powerful flight. Delaware’s first season split for duck hunting runs from Oct. 21 to 29. /USFWS photo

Youth Waterfowl Hunt to Occur Oct. 15; Hunters Reminded That Deer Hunting is Allowed on All Sundays Through Jan. 31, 2023

Additional Delaware hunting seasons are set to open in October, including various deer firearm seasons, duck, snow goose and other migratory game birds – as well as the one-day youth-only waterfowl hunt on Saturday, Oct. 15, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Deer hunting is allowed on all Sundays through Jan. 31, 2023, using only those hunting methods legal for the respective established deer hunting seasons, with additional information available at de.gov/sundayhunt.

Hunting season dates and hunting hours for seasons opening in October:

• Snow goose: Oct. 1 through Jan. 31, 2023; Feb. 4, 2023 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Antlerless deer: Oct. 1 through 2, 17, 21 through 24 and 28 through 31, including Sundays (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)
• Muzzleloader deer: Oct. 7 through 16, including Sundays (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)
• Youth Waterfowl Hunt: Oct. 15 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Ducks, coots and mergansers: first season split Oct. 21 through Oct. 29 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)

Continuing hunting seasons include:

• Mourning dove: through Oct. 3 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Moorhen, gallinule, sora, Virginia rail, king rail and clapper rail: through Nov. 23 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Common snipe: through Nov. 26 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Archery and crossbow deer: through Jan. 31, 2023, including all Sundays (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset
• Gray squirrel: through Feb. 4, 2023 (½-hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset; closed during the November deer general firearm season)
• Coyote: through Feb. 28, 2023 (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)
• Crows: through March 25, 2023, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Groundhog: through June 30, 2023 (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife offers many hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas. Wildlife area maps and rules are available at de.gov/wamaps, with information specific to Sunday deer hunting on state wildlife areas available at de.gov/sundayhunt.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt, and most waterfowl hunters are required to purchase a Delaware waterfowl (duck) stamp and a Federal Duck Stamp. Dove, goose and duck hunters also need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, which can be obtained online at de.gov/digitaldnrec or by calling toll free 1-855-DEL-HUNT (1-855-335-4868). When using the online DNREC permitting system, hunters should either create a profile or use the “Quick Hunting Registration” option.

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife are required to have and display a Conservation Access Pass (CAP). Hunters can opt to receive one free annual CAP with the purchase of any Delaware hunting license. To obtain a CAP, hunters will need the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned.

Delaware hunting licenses, Delaware waterfowl stamps and Conservation Access Passes can be purchased online at de.gov/digitaldnrec, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901 or from hunting license agents statewide. Hunters obtaining a LEN are reminded that they should create a profile using the de.gov/digitaldnrec portal or obtain a LEN at a hunting license agent if they have not already done so. Federal Duck Stamps are available for purchase at U.S. Post Offices, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges and online at 2022/2023 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.

More information on hunting seasons and wildlife areas is available in the 2022/2023 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide at de.gov/hunting. More information on hunting licenses, the state waterfowl stamp and the Conservation Access Pass is available at de.gov/huntinglicense.

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 nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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Reduced cost state park pass available for those on state assistance, including unemployment

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that it will reinstate entry fees and park pass requirements at all Delaware State Parks and require a Conservation Access Pass to enter state wildlife areas starting Friday, May 8.

DNREC also announced that those receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits can receive an annual park pass for $10, and those passes can be purchased online for those on unemployment as well as other state or federal assistance. The Assistance Pass Program was already available to those on General Assistance, Medicaid, Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) or Purchase of Care, but was only available with an in-person application.

On March 16, DNREC suspended entry fees, park passes and access passes until April 30 to allow Delawareans to be active outdoors and to provide space for activity, and the free period was then continued.

For the safety of the public and for employees, a number of limitations and requirements will remain in place in parks, wildlife areas, fishing areas and boat ramps, including:

• Entrance booths at parks will not be staffed, so visitors without a park annual pass will pay the daily fee via automated credit card machines or the self-registration envelopes at park entrances.
• Bathrooms will remain closed or unavailable at parks, wildlife areas, fishing areas and boat ramps.
• Beaches remain closed except for exercising, dog-walking and surf fishing under very limited conditions, per the Governor’s state of emergency orders.
• Playgrounds, campgrounds and park offices continue to be closed and tours and other activities in parks will not yet resume.
• Visitors to parks, wildlife areas, fishing areas and boat ramps must have masks with them, and must wear them when social distancing from others cannot be maintained.
• The Governor’s requirement that out-of-state visitors must quarantine for 14 days upon entering Delaware before visiting parks, wildlife areas or other public spaces remains in effect.

“As the state’s businesses take small steps toward reopening on Friday, we will start our delayed fee season for parks as well, since 65 percent of the funding that runs our state parks system comes from visitor fees. And we are extending our discounted Assistance Program annual pass to those on unemployment for the first time ever,” DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said. “Like businesses, we still need some limits out of concern for health and safety, so we will not yet back to full operations but hope to take more steps soon.”

Delaware State Parks

State park entrance fees for vehicles registered in Delaware are $4 at inland parks and $5 at ocean parks. Fees for out-of-state vehicles are $8 at inland parks and $10 at ocean parks. Entrance fees will remain in effect through Nov. 30, which is the normal fee season end date.

Annual passes and surf fishing permits may currently only be purchased online, as all state park offices remain closed to the public, with annual passes for Delaware vehicles at $35 and for out-of-state vehicles at $70, with discounts for seniors, military and others. Those who purchase an annual pass before June 1 may place their receipt of purchase in the window of their vehicle to use state parks while waiting for the pass to arrive via mail. For information on pass and permit fees, go to www.destateparks.com/Know/PassesTagsFees, which includes a link to apply for the reduced cost Annual Pass Assistance Program for those on state and federal assistance, including unemployment.

Delaware Fish and Wildlife areas

A Delaware Conservation Access Pass is required for any registered motor vehicle that’s used to access most of state wildlife areas. Conservation Access Passes are available as annual passes, which may be used from July 1 through June 30, or as three-day passes, which may be used for three consecutive days. The conservation pass provides needed funding to help the Division of Fish and Wildlife maintain and improve public access, facilities, and wildlife habitat on state wildlife areas. Conservation Access Passes may be purchased and more information is available online at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/conservation-access-pass/.

For the latest information on COVID-19 in Delaware, visit de.gov/coronavirus.

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. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:
Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov
Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov
Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov

Reminder for the week: Hunting and fishing licenses and Conservation Access Passes help fund Delaware conservation and outdoor recreation facilities

DOVER – To achieve public compliance with laws and regulations through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between Dec. 9-15 made 1,360 contacts with hunters, anglers, boaters, and the general public, issuing 16 citations. Officers responded to 43 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public. A Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence continued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and Michael N. Castle Trail.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions
Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:
Wildlife Conservation: Hunting on a refuge (1), removing antlered deer parts prior to checking (1), possession of unlawfully taken antlered deer (1), failure to tag antlered deer (1), failure to check antlered deer within 24 hours (2), failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours (1), and no License Exempt Number (LEN) (1).
Boating & Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (2).
Public Safety: Possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vessel (1) and possession of drug paraphernalia (2).
Other: Damaging state property – cutting plants (2) and operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area (1).

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The Public are encouraged to report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or through the DENRP Tip app on a smartphone, which can be downloaded free of charge by searching “DENRP Tip” via the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030, going online to http://de.gov/ogt, or using the DENRP Tip app. Verizon customers can connect to Operation Game Theft directly by dialing #OGT.

Are you AWARE?
Did you know that your purchase of fishing and hunting licenses and Conservation Access Passes helps fund fish and wildlife conservation and public outdoor recreation facilities? Revenue from fishing and hunting licenses supports statewide fish and wildlife surveys, management, and conservation, as well as habitat management and fishing and hunting access on state lands managed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife to include boat ramps and state wildlife areas. Conservation Access Pass revenues also help fund management and maintenance of state wildlife areas.

Delaware fishing and hunting licenses and Conservation Access Pass 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 or Conservation Access Pass online, visit Delaware licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing or hunting licenses and Conservation Access Passes, call 302-739-9918.

• Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DEFWNRPolice/.
• Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

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