Delaware Becoming an Outdoors-Woman participant Alicia Schmidt scores a bull’s-eye during a BOW archery course. /DNREC photo

BOW Offers Wide Range of Courses from Archery to Surf Fishing to a Managed Deer Hunt; Registration Deadline for Weekend Event is Oct. 3

Delaware Seashore State Park on Delaware’s Atlantic Coast is to be the setting for the 2023 Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program the weekend of Oct. 13 to 15, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today, with the park welcoming BOW participants to the three-day program starting Friday, Oct. 13. The 2023 event marks the 24th year Delaware has hosted the program sponsored by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Registration opens Wednesday, Sept. 20 and closes Tuesday, Oct. 3.

BOW offers a variety of 3.5-hour and 1.5-hour courses taught by DNREC staff and volunteer instructors, who share their expertise and provide instruction in a safe, supportive and non-competitive atmosphere. The cost of participating in the full BOW weekend is $200, which includes meals and lodging, along with instruction in and use of necessary outdoors equipment and supplies.

As always, BOW participants can choose from a wide range of hands-on courses. This year’s offerings include Saltwater Boat and Surf Fishing, Outdoor Survival Skills, Intro to Archery, Intro to Birding, Cooking Your Catch (fish preparation and cooking), Nature I.D. Hikes, Crabbing, Clamming, Intro to Wildlife Trapping, and others, including Forest Bathing, an eco-therapy known to the Japanese, who popularized it, as “shinrin-yoku” which means “forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere.”

A specialty course this year at BOW is a mentored crossbow deer hunt, limited to five participants. The course involves learning how to safely use a crossbow and taking part in the mentored hunt in a designated area within Delaware Seashore State Park. Hunt participants are required to have a Delaware hunting license and hunter education certification prior to the event. Each BOW hunter will be partnered during the managed hunt with a mentor from the Delaware Hunter Education Office, to include hunter ed instructors and certified Delaware Master Hunters.

BOW registrations must be received by Tuesday, Oct. 3. More information about Delaware BOW weekend, and including online registration, can be found at de.gov/bow.

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; Joanna Wilson, Joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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Brandywine Creek Nature Center/DNREC photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will close or reduce hours for several public activities and facilities following the surge in coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant.

While state parks, nature and wildlife areas continue to be open, the following closures and reductions in hours will be in effect through the end of January due to current or anticipated staffing shortages:

• The Brandywine Zoo will reduce its open hours to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in January.
• Public restroom facilities in state parks and reserves will close starting next week. Portable toilets will be available for visitors in place of the public restrooms. Campground facilities will remain open.
• State park offices will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Nature centers, interpretive centers and museums, and the St. Jones Reserve visitor center will be closed starting Monday. Jan. 3.
• The Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center will continue to operate with reduced days and hours by appointment only. Details are available at de.gov/ommelanden.
• Indoor programs will either be held virtually or canceled. Outdoor programming and volunteering will continue. Restrictions may apply to outdoor programs. For questions regarding specific programs, contact the office at the park or location where the program is scheduled.
• First Day Hikes will still occur on Saturday and will have a self-check-in option at each park.
• Mandatory in-person hunter education field days in January will continue, but with fewer students in smaller groups.

DNREC encourages the public to take advantage of online resources, including applications for permits and licenses, and virtual educational content. Public hearings and meetings are also virtual with updated information available on the DNREC online calendar, de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

All conditions are subject to change. Staff and visitors in state buildings and facilities are still required to wear face coverings. 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 @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov

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Renovated rifle/pistol range project and other sport shooting opportunities to be featured

Renovated shooting booths at DNREC’s Ommelanden Rifle/Pistol Range under the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Hunter Education Program

NEW CASTLE – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife will hold an open house from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, July 13, to mark the official reopening of the recently-renovated rifle/pistol range at the Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center, located at 1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720. The family-friendly event will be held rain or shine.

With the goal of engaging hunters, shooting sports enthusiasts, and community members, the event will promote firearms safety and showcase the training center’s various sport shooting facilities. The event will feature displays from Delaware’s Hunter Education Program, as well as provide access to helpful resources on becoming a hunter or improving hunting skills. Local sporting goods and outdoor recreation vendors and food trucks also will be onsite, providing an opportunity for a day outing.

For more information, please call DNREC’s Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912. For general information about Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center, visit Ommelanden Range.

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

Vol. 49, No. 183

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Reminder for the week: Turkey hunting season opening; baiting prohibited

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 April 1-7 made 1,233 contacts with hunters, anglers, boaters, and the general public, issuing 19 citations. Officers responded to 49 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 in the Community
• On April 5, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers discussed the role of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers and answered hunting, fishing, and boating questions during a career fair at Delaware Technical Community College Stanton Campus.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions
• On April 5, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers responded to a capsized vessel and two uninjured individuals that had been rescued from the water and transported to the shoreline by a citizen on the Indian River near Oak Orchard. The cause of the capsizing is still under investigation.

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:
Fisheries Conservation: Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (3)*, no Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number (3), possession of undersized white perch (1), possession of over- the-limit trout (1), and fishing a closed trout stream (2).
Public Safety: Possession of marijuana – civil (3) and possession of drug paraphernalia (2).
Other: Damaging state property on a wildlife area (1)*, target shooting on a wildlife area (1), littering on a state wildlife area (1), and improper lane change (1).
*Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

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. Citizens 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 1.800.292.3030, 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?
With the opening of Delaware’s turkey hunting season on Saturday, April 13, Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind turkey hunters that it is unlawful to use bait as an attractant while in pursuit of wild turkeys. Some common bait that is illegally used includes wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and various birdseed blends. Hunters are responsible for ensuring that no bait is present in an area where they are hunting turkeys.

Delaware offers hunting opportunities for wild turkeys on several state wildlife areas and state forests by permit only. Turkey hunters are drawn via a pre-season lottery and issued a permit that enables them to hunt a specified public land area during a specified one-week segment. Hunters selected for a public land permit must carry their permit, as well as their turkey education card and hunting license, at all times while hunting.

For hunters who harvest a spring gobbler, the Division of Fish & Wildlife requires that the turkey be checked at an authorized check station by 2:30 p.m. on the same day the turkey was harvested. Information obtained through the check stations is used by the Division of Fish & Wildlife to help manage Delaware’s wild turkey population.

2019 turkey check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station where they plan to check a bird to confirm hours of operation. Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records also are reminded to have their bird’s live weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will be directed to another station to have the turkey re-weighed.

For more information on hunting in Delaware, click on 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk and from license agents throughout the state.

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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Additional opportunities for hunters to harvest deer in Delaware

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is promoting the January opening of additional Delaware deer hunting seasons, which extend opportunities for hunters to harvest deer during the 2018/19 hunting season.

The following deer hunting seasons open in January:

• Handgun Deer*: Jan. 5 – 12, except for Sunday, Jan. 6
• Shotgun Deer*: Jan. 19 – 27, including Sundays, Jan. 20 and 27
• Muzzleloader Deer: Jan. 28 – Feb. 3, including Sunday, Feb. 3

*Straight-walled, pistol-caliber rifles are allowed in January only during the handgun and shotgun deer seasons.

Archery and crossbow deer seasons will remain open through Jan. 31, 2019, including Sundays, but hunters can still hunt with archery equipment and crossbows from Feb. 1 through 3 during the January muzzleloader season.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt. More information on hunting license requirements is available at Delaware Licenses. To register for an LEN number, hunters can go to Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration or call toll free 1-855-335-4868.

To purchase a hunting license, 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 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 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.

For more information on hunting and trapping, click 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide and Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. Hard copies of the 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. 339