DOVER – Delaware hunters harvested 14,681 deer during the 2015/16 season – the highest number since the state’s first modern-day deer season was held in 1954 and harvest record-keeping began, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. The total number of deer taken in Delaware this season topped the previous record of 14,669 set in 2004/05, and also eclipsed last season’s harvest of 14,269 deer which had been the second-highest on record.

“We anticipated that hunters would have a successful season this year due to overall favorable hunting conditions experienced during most of the season,” said Joe Rogerson, Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist.

During the 2015/16 season, hunters harvested more females than males, with 54.3 percent does (7,975) and 45.7 percent bucks (6,706) taken, he said. Antlerless deer – does, juvenile bucks without antlers known as button bucks, antlered bucks with antlers measuring less than three inches, and bucks that had already shed their antlers when harvested – represented 71.3 percent of the total harvest.

In addition to the new harvest record for Delaware, hunters helped establish several other harvest records during the past season:

• Sussex County: 7,960 deer harvested (Though not record-setting, New Castle County’s harvest totaled 2,548 while Kent County’s deer harvest was 4,173.)
• Adult does harvested in a single season: 6,869
• Antlered bucks taken: 4,218

“Many hunters enjoyed success this year as indicated by the total harvest as well as several other new records set, and we fully expect hunters to continue to enjoy Delaware’s deer hunting opportunities for years to come due to the sustainable deer population,” said Wildlife Section Administrator Rob Hossler. “As we continue to analyze the harvest data, we anticipate finding other harvest records that were broken this past season and will share those on our website when they become available.”

For more information about the Delaware deer harvest or any other deer-related issue, please contact Joe Rogerson at 302-735-3600, or visit the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Delaware Deer Information webpage.

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

Vol. 46, No. 55

TOWNSEND – DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers concluded an investigation into illegal deer hunting Tuesday with the arrest of a New Castle County man for illegal weapons possession charges along with numerous charges related to the illegal take of at least 14 deer during Delaware’s 2015/16 deer season.

James R. Smith III, 38, of Bear, was charged Feb. 9 with two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited; three counts of failure to register antlered deer within 24 hours; three counts of failure to tag antlered deer; three counts of butchering antlered deer prior to registration; six counts of possession of or transporting unlawfully taken antlered deer; 10 counts of failure to register antlerless deer within 24 hours; 10 counts of failure to tag antlerless deer; 10 counts of butchering antlerless deer prior to registration and 24 counts of possession of or transporting unlawfully taken antlerless deer. Two shotguns, ammunition, a compound bow, a crossbow, several deer antlers and a large quantity of packaged deer meat were seized as evidence.

Smith was released on $14,900 unsecured bond, pending a court appearance at a later date.

“Under Delaware law, persons whose criminal and legal history includes prior felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions associated with violent crimes, drug convictions or mental conditions as defined under the law or court-issued protection from abuse orders (PFAs) are prohibited from possession of ammunition, firearms and other deadly weapons,” said Sgt. John McDerby of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police. “Any deer taken by a person under this prohibition is considered an illegal take, and subject to arrest.”

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. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at http://de.gov/ogt.

Media Contacts: Sgt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 37

New sea duck regulations, migratory game bird seasons will also be discussed

DOVER – The Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish will address dates proposed by DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife for the 2016/17 waterfowl and migratory game bird seasons at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 in the auditorium at the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover.

Changes to sea duck hunting regulations that are being implemented by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) also will be discussed at the council meeting, and the Division of Fish & Wildlife invites sea duck hunters to attend to learn about these changes and provide input on new season dates for Delaware.

Sea ducks – scoters, eiders and long-tailed ducks – are commonly found in the coastal waters and bays of Delaware, primarily during fall and winter, providing consistent hunting opportunities. For decades, states within the Atlantic Flyway have held a special 107-day season for sea ducks with a separate sea duck bag limit within a designated special sea duck area. Delaware’s special sea duck area begins at and extends beyond 800 yards from shore between Port Mahon/Elbow Cross Navigation Light and the Delaware-Maryland line.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, waterfowl biologists in the Atlantic Flyway, and around North America in general, have become concerned about the status and harvest pressure on sea ducks. Sea ducks have a low reproductive rate, smaller clutch sizes, mature sexually at a later age and have populations that are more difficult to monitor compared to other waterfowl species. These factors, combined with technological advances for hunting sea ducks, caused biologists within the flyway to begin examining sea duck harvest sustainability. In 2015, USFWS completed a preliminary analysis for scoters, eiders and long-tailed ducks, and the results suggested that the Atlantic Flyway is exceeding the allowable harvest for all sea duck species.

As a result, the Atlantic Flyway, including Delaware, must begin implementing changes to reduce sea duck harvest by 25 percent beginning with the 2016/17 season. The total daily limit of sea ducks in the special sea duck area is being reduced from seven to five, and bag limits for scoters, eiders and long-tailed ducks are being reduced to no more than four of any kind statewide. In addition, the hunting season for sea ducks within the special sea duck area is being reduced from 107 days to 60 days.

“Now that we know more about sea duck populations, Delaware and our Atlantic Flyway neighbors fully support these regulation changes and have voted in favor of implementing them,” said Wildlife Administrator Rob Hossler, Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife. “However, the Division would like to involve our hunters in the process by hearing what they believe would be the best 60-day timeframe for holding a shortened sea duck season.”

For more information, please contact the Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912.

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

Vol. 46, No. 36

DOVER –The Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife is again implementing an annual Snow Goose Conservation Order, which began in 2009 as part of an Atlantic Flyway-wide effort to reduce the population of greater snow geese. Snow goose numbers have reached levels that are causing extensive damage to their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic as well as depredation of the wetlands and agricultural areas where the birds overwinter in the Mid-Atlantic, including Delaware. The state’s 2016 Conservation Order to harvest snow geese will open Monday, Feb. 1 and run through Friday, Feb. 5, then will reopen Monday, Feb. 8 and run through Saturday, April 9.

The Conservation Order is a separate season open only for snow geese and occurs after Delaware’s regular waterfowl hunting seasons close. It was created with the intent of using hunting as a game management tool to reduce and stabilize the greater snow goose population. Last year, an estimated 13,684 snow geese were harvested by more than 730 hunters who participated in the Conservation Order in Delaware.

During the Conservation Order, hunters will be able to pursue snow geese every day except Sunday. Use of unplugged shotguns and electronic calls are allowed, with legal shooting hours starting a half-hour before sunrise and extended to a half-hour after sunset; there are no daily bag and possession limits. All other federal and state hunting regulations apply.

The Conservation Order will be closed on Saturday, Feb. 6, for a special statewide youth waterfowl hunting day. Regular snow goose hunting is also allowed on this day for all legally licensed waterfowl hunters in Delaware, but the special harvest methods described above are not allowed and the regular-season daily bag limit of 25 snow geese will be in effect on this day.

Most state wildlife areas will be open to hunting during the Conservation Order beginning Monday, Feb. 1. Wildlife areas in New Castle and Sussex counties will be open on a first-come, first-served basis with no registration required, except at the Assawoman Wildlife Area where hunters must self-register at the Assawoman check station. In Kent County, individual sign-in will be required at Woodland Beach, Little Creek and Ted Harvey wildlife areas. Sign-in will not be required at Blackiston, Milford Neck or Norman G. Wilder wildlife areas. To avoid conflicts with the spring 2016 wild turkey season, snow goose hunting will be prohibited on state wildlife areas after Friday, April 8. Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges are not participating in the Conservation Order.

To participate in the Conservation Order, hunters must obtain a free Snow Goose Conservation Order permit number by registering at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/delhunt. Individuals needing assistance in obtaining the permit number should call 302-735-3600 during business hours Monday through Friday. Participants are also required to have a valid Delaware hunting license or a Maryland resident hunting license, a 2015-16 Delaware waterfowl stamp and a Delaware Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, with the HIP available at the website above. A federal waterfowl stamp is not required.

Once registered for the Snow Goose Conservation Order permit, hunters are required to keep this permit number in their possession while hunting and to report their hunting activity and success to the Division of Fish & Wildlife by Sunday, May 1 via website at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/delhunt; hunters may also report by phone at 302-735-3600 during business hours Monday through Friday.

For more information, please call 302-739-9912 or visit www.fw.delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No. 26

DOVER – With Delaware’s spring wild turkey hunting season fast approaching, DNREC’s Hunter Education Program reminds both resident and non-resident hunters that they must pass a Delaware-approved course on turkey hunting before they can legally hunt turkeys in the First State.

Registration is now open for the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife’s one-day mandatory wild turkey hunter education course, which is offered in all three counties in Delaware. Students only need to attend one of the two dates offered: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 or Sunday, Feb. 7, at one of the following locations:

• New Castle County – Ommelanden Hunter/Trapper Education Training Center and Range, 1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720
• Kent County – Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE 19901
• Sussex County – Owens Station Shooting Sports & Hunter Education Center, 12613 Hunters Cove Road, Greenwood, DE 19950

“Delaware’s turkey hunter education course teaches students age 10 and up important turkey hunting safety information, and current laws and regulations pertaining to wild turkey hunting in the state,” said Delaware Hunter Education Coordinator Mark Ostroski. “Students also learn the biology and behavior of the wild turkey, the wild turkey’s history in Delaware and turkey calling.”

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to print their Delaware Turkey Safety Card or have the turkey course added to their Delaware Hunter Education Card, which must be carried while hunting, Ostroski said.

All students planning on attending one of the courses must register in advance. To register and enroll into the course, click Hunter Education Online Access and after logging in, click “Sign me up” and select “Mandatory Turkey Ed.” Students may also contact the Hunter Education Office at 302-735-3600, ext. 1.

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

Vol. 46, No. 24