DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife reminds hunters that Sportsmen Against Hunger program accepts donated deer

Butcher shops and self-serve coolers available to accept donated deer to help feed those in need

DOVER – During the current peak of the 2019/2020 deer hunting season, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife reminds hunters that its Sportsmen Against Hunger program is available for hunters to donate harvested deer to help feed those in need. All donated deer are processed free of charge to the hunter, and the meat is distributed to participating charitable groups.

Donated deer can be dropped off at participating private butcher shops as well as self-serve, walk-in coolers maintained by the Division of Fish & Wildlife as listed below. Deer generously donated by deer hunters are processed into ground venison and distributed to charitable groups that provide meals for needy Delawareans.

Last year, the Sportsmen Against Hunger program distributed 19,069 pounds of venison from 639 deer donated by hunters to approximately three dozen food pantries and shelters statewide, which provided more than 76,000 meals to Delawareans in need. Since it began in 1992, the program has provided more than two million such meals.

Participating butcher shops in the Sportsmen Against Hunger program

New Castle County

Townsend Deer Butchering
1300 Dexter Corner Road
Townsend, DE 19734
302-378-3268

Kent County

D&J Custom Cutting
89 Myers Drive
Hartly, DE 19953
302-492-0323

Miller’s Butcher Shop
577 Morgans Choice Road
Wyoming, DE 19934
302-697-8278

Sussex County

Dave’s Cut ‘Em Up
6854 Delmar Road
Delmar, DE 19940
302-381-7257

Walk-in cooler locations to donate deer for Sportsmen Against Hunger program

New Castle County

Augustine Wildlife Area, 303 North Congress Street, Port Penn, DE 19731

Kent County

Little Creek Wildlife Area, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE 19901
Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area, 782 Kersey Road, Viola, DE 19979
Mosquito Control Office, 1161 Airport Road, Milford, DE 19963

Sussex County

Redden State Forest Headquarters, 18074 Redden Forest Drive, Georgetown, DE 19947
Trap Pond State Park, 33587 Bald Cypress Lane, Laurel, DE 19956
Gumboro Community Center, 36849 Millsboro Highway, Millsboro, DE 19966
Assawoman Wildlife Area, 37604 Mulberry Landing Road, Frankford, DE 19945

Hunters donating deer at self-serve, walk-in coolers are asked to call the phone number posted on the cooler so that the deer can be transported for processing in a timely manner. Hunters are reminded that all deer dropped off at a cooler must be field-dressed and registered by the hunter, with the registration number written on the field tag attached to the deer. Coolers are checked frequently, with donated deer taken to participating private butcher shops or the Sussex Correctional Institution’s deer butchering program for processing.

All deer harvested in Delaware, including donated deer, must be registered through the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Hunter and Trapper Registration (HTR) system. Deer hunters are encouraged to access the system online using a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. Hunters who prefer to talk to a live customer service representative can call 1-855-DEL-HUNT (1-855-335-4868).

More information on hunting in Delaware can be found in the 2019-2020 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and from license agents statewide.

For more information on the Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, including an interactive map of the donation locations, please visit Sportsmen Against Hunger, or contact Bill Jones, regional wildlife manager, at 302-284-4795 or Eric Ness, deer biologist, at 302-735-3600.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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


DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife announces Delaware hunting seasons opening in October

Hunting opportunities offered at many state wildlife areas

DOVER – Numerous Delaware hunting seasons open in October, including Sunday firearm deer hunting opportunities, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Deer hunting is allowed on all Sundays through the end of the deer season on Feb. 2, 2020, using only those hunting methods legal for the respective, established deer hunting seasons. Please refer to Sunday Hunting webpage for Sunday deer hunting information, including hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas.

Hunting seasons opening in October:

  • Snow goose: Oct. 1-Jan. 31, 2020, and Feb. 8, 2020
  • Antlerless deer: Oct. 4-6, 21, and 25-28, including Sundays
  • Muzzleloader deer: Oct. 11-20, including Sundays
  • Youth Waterfowl Hunt: Oct. 19
  • Ducks, coots, and mergansers: first season split Oct. 25-Nov. 6
  • Tundra swan, only by permit issued through a pre-season lottery, Oct. 25-Jan. 31, 2020

Continuing hunting seasons include:

  • Moorhen, gallinule, sora, Virginia rail, king rail, and clapper rail: through Nov. 21
  • Common snipe: through Nov. 30
  • Archery and crossbow deer: through Feb. 2, 2020, including all Sundays
  • Gray squirrel: through Feb. 1, 2020 (closed during November shotgun deer season)
  • Coyote hunting season: through Feb. 28, 2020
  • Crows: through Mar. 31, 2020 (Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only)
  • Groundhog: through June 30, 2020

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife offers many hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas. Wildlife area maps and rules are available at Wildlife Area Hunting Maps.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt, and most waterfowl hunters require a Delaware waterfowl (duck) stamp. More information on hunting license and Delaware waterfowl stamp requirements is available at Delaware Licenses. Waterfowl and other migratory game bird (except crow) hunters will need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. To register for a LEN number or HIP number, hunters can go to Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration or call toll free 1-855-335-4868. For hunters age 16 and older, a federal migratory bird stamp is also required to hunt waterfowl.

To purchase a hunting license, either in person or online, hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, must have a basic hunter education safety course card/number. Hunters who took a Delaware hunter safety course starting in 2008 can print their hunter safety card by going to http://de.gov/huntersafety. Hunters who took their Delaware hunter safety course before 2008 should call the Hunter Education Office at 302-735-3600, ext. 1 to obtain a hunter safety card.

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife are required to 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 Delaware Licenses, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide. Federal migratory bird stamps are available at U.S. Post Offices, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges, and online at Federal duck stamps.

For more information on hunting, click 2019-2020 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide and Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. Hard copies of guide and newly-updated hunting maps are also available at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office. More information on hunting licenses, season details, and the Conservation Access Pass is also available by calling the DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Wildlife Section office at 302-739-9912.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 237


DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announces opening of September hunting seasons

Green wing teal, which Delaware duck hunters can pursue during a special season that begins Sept. 12. USFWS photo

Numerous hunting opportunities offered starting Sept. 1 at many state wildlife areas

DOVER – Delaware hunters will start their 2019/20 hunting season Sunday, Sept. 1 with the opening of archery and crossbow deer seasons, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Hunters can start adding mourning dove and resident Canada goose to their daily game bags on Monday, Sept. 2, and teal on Thursday, Sept. 12, when the special September teal season opens. Gray squirrel season opens Saturday, Sept. 14.

The following hunting seasons open in September, with season dates and hunting hours as listed:

  • Archery and Crossbow Deer: Sept. 1-Feb. 2, 2020, including Sundays (½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset)
  • Dove: Sept. 2-Oct. 7 for first season split (½ hour before sunrise to sunset)*
  • Resident Canada geese: Sept. 2-25 (½ hour before sunrise to sunset)
  • Teal: Sept. 12-30 (½ hour before sunrise to sunset in the designated teal zone south of the C&D Canal to Lewes, and east of Routes 13, 113/113A, and 1)
  • Gray squirrel: Sept. 14-Feb. 1, 2020 (½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset, except closed during November shotgun deer season)

*Reminder: Non-toxic shot (no lead) must be used for dove hunting on state wildlife areas during the month of September and hunting hours might differ at specific dove fields on certain state wildlife areas.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife offers many early-season hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas. Wildlife area maps and rules are available at Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. Additional information on September hunting opportunities at Division of Fish & Wildlife public wildlife areas is available at Delaware’s September hunting seasons.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt, and most waterfowl hunters require a Delaware waterfowl (duck) stamp. More information on hunting license and Delaware waterfowl stamp requirements is available at Delaware Licenses. Teal, dove, and goose hunters also need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. To register for a LEN number or HIP number, hunters can go to Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration or call toll free 1-855-335-4868. For hunters age 16 and older, a federal migratory bird stamp is also required to hunt geese or teal.

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife are required to 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 Delaware Licenses, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide. Federal migratory bird stamps are available for purchase at U.S. Post Offices, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges, and online at Federal duck stamps.

For more information on hunting, click 2019-2020 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide. Hard copies of the hunting guide and newly-updated hunting maps are also available at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office. More information on hunting licenses, season details, and the Conservation Access Pass is also available by calling the Wildlife Section office at 302-739-9912.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 228


Frankford man pleads guilty to deer poaching after arrest by DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police

Case results in two-year loss of hunting license and restitution through Operation Game Theft

DOVER – A Frankford man who was arrested Jan. 21 by DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on multiple deer poaching violations and a felony criminal charge near Millville recently entered a guilty plea during his pre-trial hearing in Sussex County Superior Court.

Paul E. Daisey, 38, plead to hunting deer during a closed season and disorderly conduct. Daisey’s plea resulted in his forfeiting his hunting license for two years, making restitution of $2,380 to the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Operation Game Theft fund, serving one year of Level 1 probation, and forfeiture of a firearm seized by Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police when he was arrested.

The public is 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.

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

Media contact: Sgt. Brooke Mitchell, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913, or 302-382-7167; or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 49, No. 182

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DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recommends think twice before ‘rescuing’ young wildlife

‘If you care, leave them there’

DOVER – Whether in their own backyards or while taking a walk outdoors, Delawareans are likely to encounter young wildlife this time of year. DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife reminds well-meaning Delawareans that when encountering young wildlife of any species, the best thing you can do is to leave the animals alone.

While some young animals appear to be abandoned, they usually are not, with their mothers nearby watching over them and waiting for you to move on. Many wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, leave their young while they forage for food, visiting the young only a few times a day, with the young animals following their natural instinct to lie quietly, protecting them from predators.

Removing or handling wildlife can be harmful to both humans and wildlife. Precautions to take with both juvenile and adult wild animals include:

  • If you see a young wild animal alone, watch from a distance to see if its mother returns, which could take several hours.
  • Be aware that wild animals can be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, especially if they are in pain.
  • Wild animals can carry parasites such as fleas and ticks or diseases such as rabies that can affect you or your pets.
  • Remember that it is illegal to raise or keep any wild animal in Delaware.

Taking a wild animal from the wild will almost certainly ensure that it will not survive, so DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife advises, “If you care, leave them there.”

For additional information to help determine if an animal is injured or orphaned, or exhibiting normal behavior and doesn’t need to be rescued, visit the Delaware Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators and Educators website at https://www.dewildliferescue.com/index.html.

If a young wild animal appears injured or you are certain its parent is dead, please contact the DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Wildlife Section during business hours Monday-Friday at 302-739-9912, or after hours and weekends at 800-523-3336, to determine the appropriate course of action.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 134