DOVER – With shorter days ahead – especially after the Nov. 4 change from daylight savings back to Eastern standard time – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife reminds Delaware motorists, especially 9-to-5 workers driving home at dusk, to be alert for deer crossing roadways.

National statistics show that at least half of all deer-vehicle collisions occur the last three months of the year, with the highest number of deer struck on the roadways in late October through mid-November. State Farm Insurance recently reported that motorists made 5,435 deer/vehicle collision insurance claims in Delaware between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, a 2.9 percent decrease from 5,600 during the same time period last year. Delaware ranks 24th this year out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia included in State Farm’s report on where deer-vehicle collisions are most likely to occur; neighboring Pennsylvania ranks third. Delaware is considered a medium-risk state with a 1-in-139 chance of a collision, compared to the national average of 1-in-167. Average property damage claims in deer-vehicle collisions run $4,341.

Attentive driving is the best way to avoid deer collisions. Keep these tips in mind, as suggested by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, Delaware police agencies, auto insurance companies, and the Division of Fish & Wildlife:

• Turn your headlights on at dawn and dusk and keep your eyes on the road, scanning the sides of the road as well as what’s ahead of you.
• When there is no oncoming traffic, switch to high beams to better reflect the eyes of deer on or near the roadway.
• To reduce your risk of injury in a collision, always wear your seatbelt.
• Be especially aware of any distractions that might take your eyes off the road, even if only momentarily, such as cell phones, adjusting the radio, eating, or passenger activities.
• Watch for “Deer Crossing” signs that mark commonly-traveled areas, and be aware that deer typically cross between areas of cover, such as woods or where roads divide agricultural fields from woods.
• If you see a deer crossing the road ahead, slow down immediately and proceed with caution until you are past the crossing point. Deer usually travel in groups, so if you see one deer, there are likely to be others.
• Slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten deer away. Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences and reflectors to deter deer, as these devices have not been proven to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.
• Do not swerve to miss a deer – brake and stay in your lane. Losing control of your vehicle, crossing into another lane, hitting an oncoming vehicle or leaving the roadway and hitting another obstacle such as a tree or a pole is likely to be much more serious than hitting a deer.
• If you hit a deer, stop at the scene, get your car off the road if possible and call police. Do not touch the animal or get too close; an injured deer may bite or kick, causing serious injury.

For more information about white-tailed deer in Delaware, contact the Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912.

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

Additional Sundays are open for deer hunting; certain rifles now allowed for some deer hunting seasons

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today expanded deer hunting opportunities for the 2018/2019 hunting season. Recent changes in state law substantially increase the number of Sundays when deer can be hunted, and also allow the use of certain straight-wall, pistol-caliber rifles for some deer hunting seasons.

Sunday deer hunting is allowed from Sept. 1, 2018 through Feb. 3, 2019, using only those hunting methods legal for the respective deer hunting seasons established by the Department. Archery and crossbows can be used on all Sundays when deer hunting is allowed. Firearms that are legal for the respective firearm deer hunting seasons can be used on Sundays for those firearm seasons. Sunday deer hunting is allowed during the regular deer hunting hours of one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset on privately-owned lands with landowner permission and on designated public lands. More information on Sunday hunting dates and allowable hunting methods is available on the Sunday Hunting Calendar.

All state wildlife areas will be open for archery/crossbow deer hunting every Sunday for all deer hunting seasons, with the majority of state wildlife areas open on Sundays for the respective firearm deer hunting seasons. State wildlife area Sunday hunting maps, information on state wildlife area tracts open for firearm Sunday deer hunting, and other details about Sunday deer hunting opportunities in Delaware are available on the Fish & Wildlife website. To request printed copies of wildlife area maps showing areas open and closed to Sunday firearm deer hunting, please call the Wildlife Section office at 302-739-9912.

Certain straight-wall, pistol-caliber rifles can be used south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal for deer hunting on private and public lands where deer hunting is allowed. Those rifles can only be used in place of a shotgun for the November and January shotgun deer seasons and in place of a handgun for the January handgun deer season. Information on straight-wall, pistol-caliber rifles that can be used for deer hunting is available at the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Deer Hunting Rifles webpage.

For more information on the 2018/2019 hunting seasons and Division of Fish & Wildlife-managed wildlife areas, please consult the 2018/2019 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide and Delaware Wildlife Area Maps. Printed copies of the guide and maps are available at DNREC’s licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. The guide is also available from license agents throughout the state.

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

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

Vol. 48, No. 254

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Hunting opportunities offered at many state wildlife areas

DOVER – Delaware hunters will start their 2018/19 hunting season Saturday, Sept. 1, with the opening of mourning dove, resident Canada goose, and archery and crossbow deer seasons. Hunters can start adding teal to their bag on Wednesday, Sept. 12 when the special September teal season opens. Gray squirrel season opens Saturday, Sept. 15. New this year, archery and crossbow deer hunters can hunt Sundays during archery and crossbow deer seasons, including in September.

Seasons opening in September, with dates and hunting hours listed, are:

• Dove: Sept. 1-Oct. 1 (½ hour before sunrise to sunset)*
• Resident Canada geese: Sept. 1-25 (½ hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Archery and Crossbow Deer: Sept. 1-Jan. 31, 2019 to include Sundays (½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset)
• Teal: Sept. 12-29 (½ hour before sunrise to sunset)
• Gray squirrel: Sept. 15-Feb. 2, 2019 (½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset)

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife offers many early-season hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas, with hunting details and rules available online at Delaware’s September hunting seasons. *Reminder: Non-toxic shot 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.

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 will need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. To register for a HIP number or LEN 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 free CAP, or to purchase an additional pass, 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 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide and Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. 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 conservation access passes 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. 48, No. 235

NEWARK – DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police concluded an investigation into the illegal harvest of deer during Delaware’s most recent hunting season with the Feb. 24 arrest of a New Castle County man.

Alexander P. Bruce, 30, of Newark, was charged with one count each of: license forgery or misrepresentation; possession of unlawfully-killed antlered deer, and transporting an unlawfully-killed antlered deer. Bruce was also charged with four counts each of: possessing unlawfully-killed antlerless deer and transporting unlawfully-killed antlerless deer.

Bruce was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 in New Castle and released on his own recognizance pending a future court appearance. He faces potential fines up to: $1,000 on the license forgery charge, $250 for each antlerless deer charge, and $10,000 for each antlered deer charge.

Follow 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 Africa, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-382-7167 or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

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LAUREL – DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police concluded an investigation that began during Delaware’s deer hunting season with the Feb. 18 arrest of a Sussex County man for multiple deer hunting violations.

Ethan G. Cahall, 21, of Laurel, was charged with four counts each of: failure to attach deer tag to antlerless deer, failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours, failure to retain tag on antlerless deer, and unlawful to remove antlerless deer parts prior to checking.

Cahall was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 3 in Georgetown where he was released on a $2,000 unsecured bond pending a future court date.

Delaware law requires all whitetail deer to be tagged immediately upon being harvested, registered with the Division of Fish & Wildlife within 24 hours of being harvested, and the field tag must remain on the deer until it is taken to a taxidermist for mounting purposes or taken to a processor for butchering. Delaware law prohibits the removal of deer parts to include butchering before the deer is registered with the Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Follow 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 Africa, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-382-7167, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 48, No. 35

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