Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Weekend Event to be Held Oct. 7 to 9 at Camp Barnes

(Delaware’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman program offers a wide range of hands-on courses for learning outdoor sports and activities. DNREC photos)

Wide Range of Courses From Archery to Wildlife Trapping; Registration Deadline is Sept. 23

Delaware’s 2022 Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is set for the weekend of Oct. 7 to 9 at Camp Barnes near Frankford, with a pre-registration deadline of Friday, Sept. 23, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. The 2022 event marks the 23rd year that Delaware has hosted the program sponsored by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

BOW offers a variety of 3.5-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 $215, which includes meals, lodging, instruction in and use of necessary equipment and supplies.

Participants can choose from a wide range of hands-on courses. This year’s BOW offerings include Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing, Build Your Own Bluebird Boxes, Coastal Forest Habitat Hike, What’s That Bug?!, Oyster Shucking and Cooking, Intro to Archery, Wetland Wonders Workshop, Intro to Birding, Kayaking, Cooking Your Catch (fish preparation and cooking), DIY Survival Bracelets, and Intro to Wildlife Trapping.

A specialty course this year at BOW is a mentored crossbow deer hunt, limited to six participants. The course involves learning how to safely use a crossbow and taking part in the mentored deer hunt at nearby Assawoman Wildlife Area. Participants in the hunt are required to have a Delaware hunting license and hunter education certification prior to the event. Each hunter will be partnered with a mentor during the managed hunt.

BOW registrations must be received by Friday, Sept. 23. 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. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Joanna Wilson, Joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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Numerous Delaware Hunting Seasons to Open in September, Including Archery Deer, Resident Canada Goose, Teal

Above: A pair of greenwing teal. The Delaware hunting season for some waterfowl, including resident Canada geese and teal, opens in September. Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Many Hunting Opportunities Available to Public at State Wildlife Areas

Delaware hunters can start their 2022/2023 hunting season Thursday, Sept. 1 with the opening of mourning dove, archery and crossbow deer, coyote and resident Canada goose hunting seasons, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Teal season opens Saturday, Sept. 10 and gray squirrel season opens Thursday, Sept. 15.

Hunting season dates and hunting hours for seasons opening in September:

Resident Canada goose: Sept. 1 thru 24 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
Dove: Sept.1 thru Oct. 3 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)*
Archery and Crossbow Deer: Sept. 1 thru Jan. 31, 2023, including Sundays (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)
Coyote: Sept. 1 thru Feb. 28, 2023 (½- hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset)
King, Clapper and Virginia Rails, Sora, Moorhens and Gallinules: Sept. 3 thru Nov. 23 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
Common Snipe: Sept. 9 thru Nov. 26 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset)
Teal: Sept. 10 thru 28 (½-hour before sunrise to sunset, limited to the designated teal zone south of the C&D Canal to Lewes and east of Routes 13, 113/113A and 1)
Gray Squirrel: Sept. 15 thru Feb. 4, 2023 (½-hour before sunrise to ½-hour after sunset; closed during the November deer general firearm season)

*Reminder: Non-toxic shot must be used for dove hunting on state wildlife areas during the month of September; lead shot is not permitted. Hunting hours may differ at specific dove fields on certain state wildlife areas.

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife offers many early season 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 posted at de.gov/sundayhunt. Additional information on September migratory bird hunting opportunities and associated rules on state wildlife areas is available online at de.gov/migratorybirdhunting.

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 teal 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.

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.

Delaware hunting licenses, Delaware waterfowl stamps and Conservation Access Passes can be purchased online at de.gov/digitaldnrec or from hunting license agents statewide. Hunters obtaining a LEN are reminded that they should create a profile at de.gov/digitaldnrec or obtain a LEN from 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 & 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.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov, Joanna Wilson, Joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

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Hunters Must Now Register Trail Cameras, Deer Stands and Ground Blinds Left on State Wildlife Areas

A trail camera used by deer hunters for scouting before and during Delaware’s deer season. DNREC photo

Effective Aug. 1, 2022, hunters are required to register temporary deer stands, deer ground blinds and trail cameras that they place and leave overnight on state wildlife areas, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Registration, which is free through an online deer stand and trail-cam registration form, will help wildlife area managers evaluate the increasing numbers and use of these hunting tools on state wildlife areas.

DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife state wildlife area maps with associated rules for the 2022/2023 hunting season provide additional details on the placement of temporary deer stands and blinds – which are allowed from Aug. 1 through Feb. 15 on some state wildlife areas – and trail cameras, which are allowed from June 1 through Feb. 15 on all state wildlife areas. Placement of a deer stand, deer blind or trail camera in a state wildlife area does not provide the owner exclusive hunting rights in that portion of the wildlife area, and the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife is not responsible for theft or damage to deer stands, deer blinds and trail cameras left by hunters.

A single registration number can be used for multiple deer stands, deer blinds and trail cameras, and hunters will need to register only once as this unique registration number can be used from year to year. Once the registration form is submitted, the applicant will receive an email containing their registration number. The registration number must be legible and conspicuously displayed on each item.

Additional information on state wildlife areas to include the deer stand, deer blind and trail camera registration process can be found at de.gov/wamaps or by calling the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912.

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

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Additional Delaware Hunting, Trapping Seasons To Open in December

Waterfowl hunters await as ducks are called into their decoy spread. US Fish and Wildlife Service photo

Waterfowl and Antlerless Deer Hunting Seasons, Numerous Trapping Seasons Included

Delaware waterfowl hunters are gearing up for the state’s third duck hunting season segment, which runs from Friday, Dec. 10 through Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, and the second Canada goose hunting season segment, which runs from Friday, Dec. 24 through Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Additional hunting seasons to include the special antlerless deer season open in December, as well as the opening of numerous trapping seasons.

Deer hunters are encouraged to harvest does (female deer) to help manage the size and quality of Delaware’s deer population. Deer hunting is allowed on all Sundays through January 2022, using only those hunting methods legal for the respective established deer hunting seasons. Additional information is available at de.gov/sundayhunt.

Hunting season dates opening in December:

Beaver: Dec. 1 through Mar. 19, 2022, Private Land Only
Woodcock and common snipe: Dec. 3 through Jan. 17, 2022
Antlerless deer: Dec. 11 through 19, including Sundays Dec. 12 and 19*
Ducks, coots and mergansers: Dec. 10 through Jan. 31, 2022
Brant: Dec. 11 through Jan. 31, 2022
Canada goose (Migratory season): Dec. 24 through Jan. 22, 2022

*Archery and crossbow hunters may hunt deer during the December antlerless season but may NOT harvest antlered deer.

Trapping season dates opening** in December:

Muskrat, mink, otter, raccoon, opossum, nutria:
○ New Castle County: Dec. 1 through Mar. 10, 2022 (March 20 on embanked meadows)
○ Kent and Sussex counties: Dec. 15 through Mar. 15, 2022
Red fox and coyote: Dec. 1 through Mar. 10, 2022
Beaver: Dec. 1 through Mar. 20, 2022, Private Land Only

**Groundhog trapping season continues through June 30, 2022

Continuing hunting seasons include:

Bobwhite quail: through Jan. 1, 2022
Mourning dove: through Jan. 31, 2022
Archery and crossbow deer: through Jan. 31, 2022, including all Sundays
Sea ducks in Special Sea Duck Area: through Jan. 31, 2022
Tundra swan (by special permit ONLY): through Jan. 31, 2022
Snow goose: through Jan. 31, 2022 and Feb. 5, 2022
Ring-necked pheasant (male only): through Feb. 5, 2022
Gray squirrel: through Feb. 5, 2022
Cottontail rabbit: through Feb. 28, 2022
Coyote (hunting): through Feb. 28, 2022
Red fox (hunting): through Feb. 28, 2022
Raccoon and opossum (hunting): through Feb. 28, 2022***
Crows: through March 26, 2022, June 23 through 25, 2022 and June 30, 2022 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only)
Groundhog: through June 30, 2022

***Special raccoon and opossum hunting hours during the December antlerless, January handgun, January shotgun and January muzzleloader deer seasons are 7:00 p.m. until midnight (reference the hunting and trapping guide for these deer season dates).

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife offers many hunting opportunities on state wildlife areas, with details available at de.gov/wamaps. Information specific to Sunday deer hunting on state wildlife areas is available at de.gov/sundayhunt.

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. Migratory bird hunters, except crow hunters, also need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, which can be obtained through the DNREC ePermitting system website or by calling toll free 855-DEL-HUNT (855-335-4868). If using the DNREC ePermitting 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 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 de.gov/huntinglicense or from hunting license agents statewide. Hunters obtaining a LEN are reminded that they should create a profile using the DNREC ePermitting system 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 2021/2022 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.

Additional information on hunting seasons and state wildlife areas is available in the 2021/2022 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide or by calling the Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912. Information on hunting licenses, the state waterfowl stamp and the Conservation Access Pass is available at de.gov/huntinglicense or by calling the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Recreational Licensing office at 302-739-9918.

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

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Delaware Natural Resources Police Arrest Two Individuals for Hunting and Firearms Related Charges

Delaware Natural Resources Police arrested two individuals during the opening weekend of shotgun deer season who were both hunting after being convicted of felony charges in the state of Delaware.

On November 12, Brian L. Dill, 47, of Lincoln who was previous convicted of felony theft was charged with three counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited, two counts of possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, one count of no hunter orange, and one count of possession or transportation of an unlawfully taken antlerless deer.

On November 13, John W. Hitch, 81, of Seaford who was previously convicted of felony possession of child pornography was charged with ten counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited and one count of possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited.

Separate consent searches of the residence for both Brian Dill and John Hitch resulted in the seizure of a total of ten firearms, three crossbows, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

As a result of the arrests, Brian Dill was released on $19,002 unsecured bond and John Hitch was released on $26,000 unsecured bond. Both have preliminary hearings scheduled in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a jury trial at which the State bears the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 65,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Brooke Mitchell, brooke.mitchell@delaware.gov