A breach in the exterior dike of the West Impoundment on DNREC’s Little Creek Wildlife Area east of Dover will likely mean partial closures of the wildlife area and include limited access for hunters during Delaware’s early waterfowl season, which starts Friday, Oct. 27 /DNREC photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced that partial closures of the Little Creek Wildlife Area east of Dover are a likely occurrence as emergency repairs are made to the breached exterior dike at the area’s West Impoundment.

In late September, impacts of Tropical Storm Ophelia weakened a portion of the dike at the impoundment along the tidal Little River. The weakened portion – combined with extensive coastal flooding earlier this month – has resulted in a breach of the dike of the West Impoundment to the extent that the impoundment now acts as a fully tidal body of water, limiting both habitat benefits for wildlife and access for recreational users.

While actively looking for solutions to repair the breached dike, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, acting in the interest of public safety, has restricted access to the West Impoundment, effective immediately. Future closures of the access road to the impoundment are also necessary to allow for construction work to repair the breached dike.

Because of the breach, navigational hazards that now exist within portions of the West Impoundment require the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife to restrict boating access for waterfowl hunters. The DNREC Wildlife Section anticipates that waterfowl hunting will be limited or closed within the Little Creek West Impoundment (where waterfowl blinds numbered 7, 9, 50, and 51, all walk-in blinds, are located). Additionally, the road and boat ramp providing access to these waterfowl blinds on the West Impoundment may also need to be closed for construction work on the dike.

Should waterfowl hunting be permitted in the West Impoundment while it has been breached, information will be available at the Little Creek Lottery Station off Route 9 throughout the waterfowl season, which begins Friday, Oct. 27. Hunters also will need to be aware that because the impoundment is now fully tidal, it will go dry at low tide.

For more information about the Little Creek Wildlife Area regarding the West Impoundment, call the DNREC Wildlife Section, 302-739-9912.

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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Multiple Blue Ribbons-Winner and First-Time Contest Victor Are Awarded Best in Show in State’s Annual Wildlife Art Competition

A 10-time Delaware stamp contest winner who added another blue ribbon to his run of artistic success and a first-time winner of a state stamp competition have claimed top honors in Delaware’s Waterfowl Stamp and Trout Stamp art contests, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Well-known in Delaware for his seven winning state trout stamp entries, as well as for three previous waterfowl stamp competition wins, Jeffrey Klinefelter took Best in Show again for his painting of a redhead duck which will grace the 2024/25 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp. A painting of a rainbow trout by Trevor Dumaw of Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded first place and will be featured on the 2024 Delaware Trout Stamp.

The annual stamp art competition drew 14 entries for the 2024/25 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and 12 entries for the 2024 Trout Stamp. The Waterfowl Stamp contest specified that submitted artwork must include the motif of a redhead duck on open water. Trout Stamp artwork entries could depict a rainbow, brown or brook trout.

As the 2024/25 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp winner, Klinefelter, of Etna Green, Ind., receives a $2,500 cash prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first-place entry. An artist who likes who likes to paint from his own photos, Klinefelter over the past 30 years has won numerous contests in states including Nevada, Ohio, Delaware, California, Oklahoma, Oregon, North and South Carolina, Indiana and Colorado. After winning the 2023 Delaware Trout Stamp last year, he rang up a fourth blue ribbon in Delaware’s Waterfowl Stamp contest.

As the 2024 Delaware Trout Stamp winner, Dumaw receives a $250 cash prize and retains the rights to reproduce and sell prints of the stamp artwork. Dumaw credits his passion for wildlife art to countless hunting and fishing trips in upstate New York, where he was born and raised. At age 20, Dumaw put his career on hold to enlist in the U.S. States Army as a military policeman. He was deployed to the Balkans before completing an overseas tour in South Korea, where he was assigned to the United Nations Joint Security Battalion, and a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dumaw finished his military career as a police investigator before being honorably discharged. As an artist, his preferred subject is the wildlife he’s surrounded by at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains.

Other winners were:

• 2024/25 Waterfowl Stamp – Second place: Guy Crittenden, Richmond, Va.; Third place: John Stewart, Wilmington, Del. Honorable mentions: Caleb Metrich, Lake Tomahawk, Wis.; Marion Orchard, Severn, Md.; Michael Kensinger, Altoona, Pa.; and Jonathan Milo, Monroe, Conn.
• 2023 Trout Stamp – Second place: Dennis Arp, Edison, Neb., brook trout; Third place: Tory Farris, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, brown trout. Honorable mentions: Tiffany Beczkalo, Dallas, Ga., rainbow trout; Walter Wincek, Elyria, Ohio, brook trout; Matt Doyle, Everett, Pa., brook trout.

Artwork in each contest was judged by a different set of five judges, with each judge separately evaluating and scoring the respective contest artwork in person.

The 2024/25 Waterfowl Stamp judges were: Carrie Lingo, Delaware Ducks Unlimited representative; Drew Clendaniel, stamp collector; Lori Crawford, Delaware State University Professor of Art; Elio Battista, Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish member, and Shawn Sullivan, wildlife biologist.
The 2024 Trout Stamp judges were: Noel Kuhrt, stamp collector; Ed O’Donnell, Trout Unlimited member; Sam Palermo, avid angler; Linda Parkowski, Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish member; and Mike Steiger, fisheries biologist.

The winning 2024/25 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp will be available for purchase July 1, 2024, and the winning 2024 Delaware Trout Stamp will be available for purchase Jan. 1, 2024.

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, started the Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and print program in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving wetland habitats vital to the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $3.6 million has been raised. A Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and hunting license are required for most waterfowl hunters.

Delaware began requiring trout stamps for anglers in the 1950s, and a Delaware Trout Stamp and a general fishing license are required for most anglers to fish in designated trout waters during certain seasons. Funds from the sale of the stamps are used to purchase trout to stock in select streams in northern New Castle County and in two downstate ponds.

More information about Delaware’s Waterfowl Stamp contest can be found at de.gov/waterfowlstamp. More information about the Trout Stamp contest can be found at de.gov/troutstamp.

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,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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A 1913 low number Delaware resident “hunter’s license.” A three-digit license will be drawn for July 27 at the Delaware State Fair from the names of hunters who are automatically entered in a raffle by purchasing their 2023/2024 Delaware resident license at the DNREC Building at the fair. /Image: DNREC archives

Winner’s Name to be Drawn During the Fair on Governor’s Day July 27 at DNREC Building

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has announced the state’s first low number hunting license raffle and invites Delaware resident hunters to enter the raffle automatically when buying a 2023/2024 license at the DNREC Building at the Delaware State Fair, which opens tomorrow. Eligibility in the raffle is limited to Delaware resident hunters and to be included in the raffle, hunters must purchase their licenses at the fair from opening day July 20 until noon July 27.

Hunters buying their licenses at the fair during that time will have the chance for their name to be drawn for low license number 000232. To be entered in the raffle, hunters must be Delaware residents 16 years of age or older and must have completed a hunter education course if born after Jan. 1, 1967. The winner’s name for the opportunity to own Delaware hunting license 000232 will be drawn by Governor John Carney during the afternoon of July 27, Governor’s Day at the fair. Hunters are not required to be present for the low number license drawing.

The low number hunting license to be drawn for at the fair cannot be used for the 2023/2024 hunting season, but will be activated upon the winner’s buying a 2024/2025 Delaware hunting license when they become available next year. License number 000232 will remain valid for as long as the holder renews it, an annual requirement for retaining the low number Delaware resident hunting licenses.

Delaware hunting licenses numbered between 000001-001200 are available only to Delaware residents. In the past, low number hunting licenses – which generated great interest amongst Delaware hunters as do low number license plates for First State motorists and low number surf tags for anglers auctioned off each year by the DNREC Division of Parks and recreation – were drawn by lottery, but that tradition was discontinued during the previous decade. The state fair raffle for a low number license is expected to spark interest in reviving the low number license lottery, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Pat Emory said.

Throughout the fair’s run, the DNREC Recreational License Office will operate from the DNREC Building, selling both resident and non-resident hunting licenses, resident and non-resident fishing licenses, and Conservation Access Passes required for wildlife watching and other outdoor pursuits on DNREC’s wildlife areas. The office also will renew low number hunting licenses and trapping licenses that were purchased for previous seasons. For more information about Delaware resident hunting licenses, including license renewals, visit de.gov/huntinglicense or call the DNREC Recreational License Office at 302-739-9918.

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,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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DOVER – With Delaware’s 2019/20 deer hunting seasons having ended earlier this month, hunters are reminded to remove their portable deer stands from state wildlife areas by Saturday, Feb. 15. Any stands found on wildlife areas after that date will become the property of the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife.

Hunters may temporarily set up portable stands starting Aug. 1 each year and must remove them at the end of the season – doing so with the knowledge that placement of a deer stand on a public wildlife area does not provide exclusive rights to hunting from their stand. Under state wildlife area rules, no parts of portable deer stands can be nailed or bolted to a tree. Hunters are also prohibited from cutting any vegetation or branches to hang a stand or to clear shooting paths on a wildlife area.

For more information, please contact the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Wildlife Section 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

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