Registration Open for Delaware Mandatory Wild Turkey Hunting Course

A wild turkey gobbler strutting in Sussex County – this year’s Delaware wild turkey hunting season starts April 10 and runs through May 8. /DNREC photo: Wayne Lehman

Free Course is Offered Online-Only for 2021 Season

Delaware’s annual spring wild turkey hunting season is starting in April 2021. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds both resident and non-resident hunters age 13 and older that they must pass a turkey hunting course approved by the Delaware Hunter Education Program before they can legally hunt turkeys in the First State.

All hunters to include turkey hunters born after Jan. 1, 1967, also must have completed an approved basic hunter education safety course and have a course card/hunter safety number. These hunter education requirements have collectively helped Delaware turkey hunters achieve an excellent hunting safety record since the state began offering a wild turkey hunting season in 1991.

The turkey hunting course is only being offered online and free of charge rather than the traditional in-person course due to continued COVID-19 precautions. The online course will be available through the Hunter Education Program until May 14, 2021.

To complete the online course, participants may go to Delaware turkey hunting course on the DNREC website to view the video, take the 20-question test, and either create an account or sign into an existing account in the DNREC ePermitting system to review and/or print their hunting license.

Participants must earn a score of 80% or higher on the test to successfully pass the turkey hunting course. Tests will be reviewed within 24 hours of completion. Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a confirmation email and the course will be added to their profile in the DNREC hunter education database.

Hunters completing the turkey hunting course for the first time who have a current hunting license are reminded that they will need to reprint their license so that it will indicate successful completion of the course.
Likewise, hunters who previously completed the turkey hunting course also should check to ensure that their hunting license displays their turkey hunting course number. Additionally, hunters who have successfully completed the course no longer need to carry a course card as proof of completion when their hunting license indicates they have passed the course.

For more information, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Hunter Education Office at 302-735-3600, ext. 1.

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 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 DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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Registration open to hunters for mandatory wild turkey hunting courses

DOVER – With Delaware’s annual spring wild turkey hunting season approaching, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Hunter Education Program reminds both resident and non-resident hunters age 13 and older that they must pass a Division-Approved turkey hunting course before they can legally hunt turkeys in the First State. Also, hunters age 13 and older born after Jan. 1, 1967, must have completed an approved basic hunter education safety course and have a course card/number. These hunter education requirements have collectively helped Delaware turkey hunters achieve an excellent hunting safety record.

Registration is now open for one-day turkey hunting courses offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. by the Division of Fish & Wildlife at the following locations in Kent, New Castle, and Sussex counties:

  • Kent County – Saturday, March 7, Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE 19901
  • New Castle County – Saturday, March 14, Ommelanden Hunter/Trapper Education Training Center and Range, 1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720 and Saturday, March 28, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, 15 East Green Street, Middletown, DE 19709 (NOTE: 8:30 a.m. start time)
  • Sussex County – Sunday, March 29, Lewes Fire Department, Station #2 at Nassau, 32198 Janice Road, Lewes, DE 19958

Delaware’s turkey hunter education course teaches turkey hunting safety, as well as the state’s current wild turkey hunting laws and regulations. Students also learn about Delaware’s wild turkey history, as well wild turkey biology and behavior, and turkey calling that can help improve turkey hunting success. While required for all hunters age 13 and older, youth 10 through 12 years of age can also take the course.

Successful completion of the course enables students to obtain their Delaware Turkey Hunter Safety Card or have the turkey course certification added to their Delaware Hunter Education Card. Proof of both basic hunter education and turkey hunting safety certification must be carried while in the field turkey hunting.

Students planning to attend one of the turkey courses must register in advance. To register for a course, click Hunter Education Online Access. 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, to register or for additional information.

Delaware’s 2020 wild turkey season will run from Saturday, April 11 through Saturday, May 9, excluding Sundays, with a youth/non-ambulatory disabled turkey hunt on Saturday, April 4. For more information on wild turkey hunting in Delaware, click on 2019-2020 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide is also available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and from license agents throughout the state.

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

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