2026/27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide Now Available

Now available throughout the state and online from DNREC, the 2026-27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide
highlights revised regulations and the season dates for hunting wild game /Guide cover photo by April Doyle

New Rules Include Sunday Hunting for all Game Species
and Updates About Chronic Wasting Disease in the State

Delaware hunters and trappers have new rules to know before their seasons begin this year. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has released the 2026/27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide, which is now available at participating license agents statewide, at the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s licensing desk in Dover and on the de.gov/hunting webpage. Key changes this year include expanded Sunday hunting for all game species and an update on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which was recently detected in Delaware.

The guide lists season dates for the 2026/27 hunting and trapping seasons, as well as a summary of Delaware laws and regulations for legal harvest of game animals and gamebirds. Hunting and trapping regulation changes for the upcoming season include:

Expanded caliber options for straight-walled pistol-caliber rifles and specifications for muzzleloaders used for deer hunting.
Expanded Sunday hunting opportunities for all game species.
Removal of minimum age requirements for youth hunts
Authorization of motorized electric carts, wagons and wheelbarrows on wildlife areas
Extension of the spring wild turkey season to include the final Sunday
Establishment of a year-round coyote season.

Details on these and other changes can be found throughout the guide. While the CWD section of this guide has been updated, additional information will be available in an addendum later this summer at all locations where hunting guides are distributed and also will be updated in the online guide.

Hunters and trappers can also find information in the guide on licensing/permit requirements, including the hunting and trapping license fee structure. Public land hunting opportunities, hunting and trapping classes offered by the division’s Hunter Education Program, and other helpful hunting, trapping and wildlife information are also included in the guide. Information can be found within the guide about the Conservation Access Pass used for additional recreational interests on state wildlife areas.

This year’s guide cover features “Wild Turkey,” a photo by April Doyle, taken of a turkey on the Bombay National Wildlife Refuge and selected from the 2026 DNREC Photo Contest.

Hunting licenses and Delaware waterfowl stamps can be purchased online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway in Dover and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, visit the de.gov/licenseagents webpage. To purchase a license online, visit the Digital DNREC webpage. For more information about Delaware hunting and trapping licenses, visit the de.gov/licensing webpage.

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 more than 75,000 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 YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn.

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

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DNREC Announces Arrival of 2024/25 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide

Numerous Changes This Year to Regulations, Including Hunting of Gamebirds on Sundays

With new Delaware hunting licenses going on sale this week, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced the 2024/25 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide is now available in hard copy from license agents throughout the state, at the DNREC recreational licensing office in the Richardson & Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway in Dover and in a readily referenced online edition.

The new guide’s cover features the winning photo from this year’s hunting photography contest, “Down in the Salt Marsh” by Mari Grehofsky of Dagsboro, depicting Clayton Townsend and his retriever Maggie, enjoying a beautiful day of duck hunting at the Assawoman Wildlife Area. But the new guide’s contents carry bigger game news: dates for the 2024/25 hunting and trapping seasons, along with a summary of Delaware hunting laws and regulations for harvest of game animals and gamebirds – which for the first time can be hunted legally in Delaware on Sundays.

Sunday hunting is for all gamebird species in the state, to include ducks, geese, doves, turkeys, pen-raised released quail, pheasants, and others. Sunday hunting for gamebirds will be open on privately-owned lands, at landowners’ discretion, and on all State Wildlife Areas.

The expanded Sunday hunting opportunity does not include furbearer species – small game animals such as gray squirrels or rabbits. Sunday deer hunting, which was legalized in 2016, remains open on selected public lands and private property without change to Delaware hunting regulations.

No Sunday hunting of any kind is allowed on Delaware State Forest lands under the Delaware Department of Agriculture, in Delaware State Parks, or Bombay Hook and Prime Hook, the state’s national wildlife refuges. For more information about hunting on Sundays, please refer to the 2024/25 hunting and trapping guide.

Another change for Delaware hunters – and a byproduct of introducing Sunday hunting for gamebirds – is a modification of the state’s traditional waterfowl seasons. When establishing season dates for migratory birds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the flyway councils establish season framework rules that all states must follow. These rules entail decisions on the earliest dates that seasons can open and the latest dates they can end; the number of segments (or “splits,” as in split seasons) that are allowed; the total number of days open to hunting; and the daily bag and possession limits. As such, migratory bird hunters – most prominently those who hunt ducks and Canada geese – will find that Delaware’s season dates for the 2024/25 are slightly different than previous years, as Sundays now count towards the total number of days open to migratory bird hunting.

What this means is that Delaware hunters essentially now have a seven-day week for duck and goose hunting instead of a six-day week, which compresses the state’s waterfowl seasons into a tighter window of opportunities. Duck season, for example, still entails 60 days of hunting, but there will be fewer total weeks of hunting for 2024/25 – 8.5 weeks instead of the traditional 10 weeks when spread out in the past because of Delaware having no Sunday gamebird hunting.

Another aspect of the new migratory gamebird seasons pertaining to Canada geese is that the Atlantic Flyway population for the species is below population objectives – so the season length for Delaware has been reduced this year from 45 days to 30 days. The season reduction (under federal jurisdiction), coupled with the addition of Sunday waterfowl hunting in Delaware, impacted the timing of upcoming season dates more than for any other gamebird species.

Hunters and trappers can also find information in the 2024/25 guide on licensing and permit requirements, including the hunting and trapping license fee structure and information on the Conservation Access Pass used for accessing state wildlife areas. Public land hunting opportunities, hunting and trapping classes offered by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Hunter Education Program, and other helpful hunting, trapping, and wildlife information are also included in the guide.

Hunting licenses and Delaware waterfowl stamps can be purchased online from the DNREC website, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and through license agents throughout the state. For more information about Delaware hunting license requirements, visit de.gov/licensing, or call the Division of Fish and Wildlife Recreational Licensing 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, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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Additional Delaware Deer Hunting Seasons Open in January, As Numerous Other Hunting and Trapping Seasons Continue

White-tailed deer. USFW photo.

Coyote Harvest Reporting Required by DNREC Within Next Business Day

Additional firearm deer hunting seasons opening in January and the continuing archery deer hunting seasons provide the last chance for hunters to harvest deer during the 2022/23 hunting season, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Deer hunters are encouraged to harvest does (female deer) during deer hunting seasons to help manage the size and quality of Delaware’s deer population.

Deer hunting seasons opening in January:

January handgun deer*: Jan. 7, Jan. 9 through 14 (closed Sunday, Jan. 8**) Hunting permitted only south of the C&D Canal
January general firearm deer* (also known as the January shotgun season): Jan. 14 through 22, including Sundays
January muzzleloader deer: Jan. 23 through 29, including Sundays

*Straight-walled pistol-caliber rifles are allowed during the January handgun and general firearm (shotgun) deer seasons only south of the C&D Canal.
**Hunters may only use archery equipment, including crossbows, to hunt on Sunday, Jan. 8.

Continuing hunting seasons include:

Bobwhite quail: through Jan. 7, 2023
Woodcock and common snipe: through Jan. 16, 2023
Canada goose (migratory season): through Jan. 23, 2023
Ducks (including sea ducks***), coots and mergansers: through Jan. 31, 2023
Brant: through Jan. 31, 2023
Tundra swan (by special permit ONLY): through Jan. 31, 2023
Snow goose: through Jan. 31, 2023, and Feb. 4, 2023
Mourning dove: through Jan. 31, 2023
Archery and crossbow deer: through Jan. 31, 2023, including all Sundays
Gray squirrel: through Feb. 4, 2023
Ring-necked pheasant (male only): through Feb. 4, 2023
Cottontail rabbit: through Feb. 28, 2023
Coyote (hunt): through Feb. 28, 2023
Red fox (hunt): through Feb. 28, 2023
Raccoon and opossum (hunt): through Feb. 28, 2023****
Beaver (hunt): through Mar. 19, 2023, private land only
Crows: through Mar. 25, 2023, June 22 through 24, 2023 and June 29 through 30, 2023 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only)
Groundhog (hunt): through June 30, 2023

***Sea duck hunters are advised that there is no longer a special sea duck zone with its own separate season dates or daily bag and possession limits. Season dates for sea ducks are now the same as the regular duck season and the daily bag and possession limits for sea ducks are now included as part of the regular daily bag and possession limits for all ducks. Refer to Page 34 of the 2022/2023 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide found at de.gov/hunting for additional information about hunting sea ducks.
****Special raccoon and opossum hunting hours during the January handgun, January general firearm and January muzzleloader deer seasons are 7 p.m. until midnight.

Continuing trapping seasons include:

Red fox and coyote: through Mar. 10, 2023
Beaver: through Mar. 20, 2023
Muskrat, mink, otter, raccoon, opossum and nutria (New Castle County Only): through Mar. 10, 2023 (Mar. 20, 2023 on embanked meadows)
Muskrat, mink, otter, raccoon, opossum and nutria (Kent and Sussex counties): through Mar. 15, 2023

Hunters and trappers are reminded that they must report harvested coyotes by contacting the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife at 302-735-3600 by the close of business on the day following their harvest. NOTE: A message also can be left after-hours at the phone number reporting a coyote harvest – the harvest reports are important data used by DNREC biologists to track coyote distribution and numbers across the state. For more information about coyotes in Delaware – including a Depredation Order signed by the DNREC Secretary that allows the animals to be shot if threatening public safety, or livestock and domestic animals – go to de.gov/coyotes.

Successful deer hunters who wish to donate venison to those in need are encouraged to participate in Delaware’s Hunters Against Hunger Program administered by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Field-dressed deer may be donated at participating private butchers or division self-serve, walk-in coolers, with additional information and participating butcher and cooler locations found at de.gov/DHAH. All donated deer will be processed free of charge to the hunter, and the meat will be distributed to participating charitable organizations serving those in need. Last year, hunters donated over 24,000 pounds of venison that provided over 96,000 meals to Delawareans in need.

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. More information on hunting seasons and wildlife areas is available in the 2022/2023 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide at de.gov/hunting.

Information on hunting licenses, the License Exempt Number (LEN), the Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number needed to hunt most migratory birds, the state waterfowl stamp and the Federal Duck Stamp, as well the Conservation Access Pass required for registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife 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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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More Delaware Hunting Seasons to Open in November, Including Firearm/Shotgun Deer, Waterfowl and Small Game

A number of Delaware hunting seasons – including “shotgun deer season” – are to open in November, with waterfowl and small game also prominent among next month’s sporting seasons /Photo: USFWS

Youth and Non-ambulatory Deer Hunt Set for Nov. 5 and 6; All Deer Hunters Encouraged to Harvest Does to Help Manage Deer Herd

Additional Delaware hunting seasons are set to open in November, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today – including the popular November general firearm deer season, also known as “November shotgun season,” which opens Nov. 11 and extends through Nov. 20, as well as the special deer hunt open to only youth and non-ambulatory hunters on Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6. Duck, Canada goose and other hunting seasons are to open later in the month.

Deer hunters are encouraged to harvest does (female deer) during deer hunting seasons to help manage the size and quality of Delaware’s deer population. 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. All harvested deer must be registered within 24 hours of harvest online at de.gov/digitaldnrec or by calling toll-free 855-DEL-HUNT (855-335-4868).

Successful deer hunters who wish to donate venison to those in need are encouraged to participate in the Delaware Hunters Against Hunger Program. Field-dressed deer may be donated at participating butchers or self-serve, walk-in coolers maintained by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, with additional information and participating butcher and cooler locations found online at de.gov/DHAH. All donated deer will be processed free of charge to the hunter, and the meat will be distributed to participating charitable organizations. Last year, hunters donated over 24,000 pounds of processed venison that provided more than 97,000 meals to Delawareans in need.

Sea duck hunters are advised that there is no longer a special sea duck zone with its own separate season dates or daily bag and possession limits. Season dates for sea ducks are now the same as the regular duck season, and the daily bag and possession limits for sea ducks are now included as part of the regular daily bag and possession limits for all ducks. Refer to page 34 of the 2022/2023 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide found at de.gov/hunting for additional information about hunting sea ducks.

Hunting season dates for seasons opening in November:

Raccoon and opossum (hunt only): Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 2023*
Red fox (hunt only): Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 2023
Deer youth/non-ambulatory hunt: Nov. 5 and 6
Deer general firearm/shotgun: Nov. 11 through 20, including all Sundays
Tundra swan (by special permit ONLY): Nov. 11 through Jan. 31, 2023
Woodcock (first season split): Nov. 21 through 26
Ducks (including sea ducks), coots and mergansers (second season split): Nov. 21 through 26
Brant (first season split): Nov. 21 through 26
Bobwhite quail: Nov. 21 through Jan. 7, 2023
Mourning dove (second season split): Nov. 21 through Jan. 31, 2023
Ring-necked pheasant (male only): Nov. 21 through Feb. 4, 2023
Cottontail rabbit: Nov. 21 through Feb. 28, 2023
Canada goose (first season split): Nov. 23 through 26

*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 (reference the 2022/2023 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide at de.gov/hunting for deer season dates).

Continuing Delaware hunting seasons include:

Moorhen, gallinule, sora, Virginia rail, king rail and clapper rail: through Nov. 23
Common snipe: through Nov. 26
Deer archery and crossbow: through Jan. 31, 2023, including all Sundays
Snow goose: through Jan. 31, 2023; Feb. 4, 2023
Gray squirrel: through Feb. 4, 2023 (closed during November general firearm/shotgun deer season)
Coyote (hunting): through Feb. 28, 2023
Crows: through March 25, 2023, June 22 through 24, 2023 and June 29 through 30, 2023 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only)
Groundhog: through June 30, 2023

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 855-DEL-HUNT (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, except for the Resident Senior Lifetime Conservation Access Pass available to Delaware residents aged 65 or older.

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, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Delaware Hunting Seasons to Open in October Include Antlerless Deer, Muzzleloader Deer, Duck and Snow Goose

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)

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.

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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