Kimberly Pokoiski bagged a Delaware gobbler during a previous turkey season – this year’s season runs from April 12-May 10 /Photo by Paul Skibicki

Hunters Who Bag a Gobbler Will now Record Data Online or by Phone Rather Than at Check Stations as in Past Years

When Delaware’s 2025 spring wild turkey season opens with a special two-day hunt Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6 for youth and non-ambulatory hunters, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will be launching a new registration system for hunters who harvest gobblers in the First State. Additionally, turkey hunting will be allowed on Sundays for the first time since the season was opened in 1991.

Sunday turkey hunting is allowed on private lands with landowner permission and on State Wildlife Areas. Hunting on Sunday is not permitted on State Forests or Delaware’s National Wildlife Refuge complex, Bombay Hook NWR and Prime Hook NWR. Turkey hunters should note that the annual Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide indicates the special hunt for youth and non-ambulatory adult hunters is only open on Saturday, April 5 but as the special hunt covers two days, it will also be open Sunday, April 6 on private lands, with landowner permission, and on State Wildlife Areas open to turkey hunting.

Youth participating in the two-day hunt must be 10 to 15 years old and accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN). Accompanying adults may not hunt during the special youth-day hunt. Regular-season turkey hunters under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult of 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or LEN. Non-ambulatory hunters who participate in the special two-day hunt must use a wheelchair for mobility.

The regular turkey season runs from April 12 through May 10, and over the course of it, hunters for the first time will register their turkeys online through the Digital DNREC app, or by calling 855-DEL-HUNT (855-335-4868), rather than taking their harvest to traditional check stations throughout the state. “We want to express our gratitude to all of the shops and private businesses that helped us with the registration process over the years since Delaware’s first turkey hunting season in 1991, and got us to the point where we were able to modernize the check-in process,” said DNREC Wildlife Section Administrator Joe Rogerson.

The new process, also to be deployed for the special youth and non-ambulatory hunter day, is identical to that for hunters registering white-tailed deer in Delaware, Rogerson said: “Online registration has proven to be more efficient with deer and will enable faster data recording with turkeys, too, giving hunters more time to tell their friends and family of how they achieved the most challenging of outdoor recreation successes in Delaware – bagging a big gobbler.”

Hunters can register their turkey after logging into their Digital DNREC account – or may expedite recording their information by clicking the Quick Hunting Registration link at the Digital DNREC app.

Additionally, Delaware turkey hunters are reminded that the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has implemented new turkey harvest reporting procedures for the 2025 season. Hunters are now required to complete their turkey harvest report card prior to moving their bird from the location where it was harvested. Further change requires all first-time turkey hunters in Delaware age 13 or older to successfully complete a DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife-approved turkey education course. Hunters who have completed the course receive the turkey harvest report card when purchasing their license or obtaining their License Exempt Number (LEN). Any hunters who took the turkey education course but did not receive a turkey harvest report card when obtaining a license or LEN are asked to contact the DNREC Hunter Education Office at 302-735-3600 ext. 1. For more information about turkey hunting and the registration procedures, hunters should refer to the Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide.

Record numbers of turkey hunters are expected to pursue Delaware gobblers this year after an all-time high of 834 valid turkey hunting applications were submitted for the 2025 spring turkey hunting permit lottery – with another high of 544 permits available to hunters for the upcoming season. For more information about hunting on State Wildlife Areas, wild turkey hunting in Delaware or the annual turkey hunting permit lottery, visit de.gov/hunting.

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 68,000 acres of public land. 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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Registration Office to Open for Limited Services by Appointment Only

As boating season gets underway, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds boaters that most boat registration services are online and accessible from the DNREC website. Online services include boat registration renewals, purchasing boat ramp certificates, duplicate registration cards and decals, and making address changes. Boaters in northern Delaware in particular are encouraged to utilize the convenient online registration services, while boat registration agents in Kent and Sussex counties listed on the DNREC website also provide boat registration services.

To further serve the public, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife boat registration office located at the R&R Building at 89 Kings Highway, Dover DE 19901 will be open by appointment only for limited boat registration services beginning Thursday, April 15, 2021. Thirty-minute appointments will be available only to boaters who need boat registration services not presently provided online: registering a new vessel or transferring a vessel. Appointments will be available starting on the half-hour Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. COVID-19 safety and health measures will be in effect for appointments, including mandatory face coverings by customers and staff.

To make an appointment or for additional information, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife boat registration office at 302-739-9916 or by email at dnrecboatreg@delaware.gov.

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: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikkie.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The Delaware Division of Revenue online business license system is now open for 2019 renewals. Any business whose license expires on December 31, 2018 may visit de.gov/renew to renew using a credit card, debit card, or by direct debit from your bank account. This convenient online service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and it’s fast, easy, and secure.

More than half of Delaware’s licensed businesses use the online renewal service, which is convenient, and allows you to print a temporary license directly from your computer – a benefit for any business that requires immediate proof of current licensing, such as contractors and businesses receiving government payments. Additionally, you may elect to renew your license for one year or for three years.

To complete the online renewal, you will need your Tax ID Number as well as your Business License Number. You’ll find your Business License Number on your current license or on the annual License Renewal Notices that will be sent to businesses later in November.

For more information, please contact the business license office at (302) 577-8778 or BusTax@delaware.gov.

Wilmington – Delaware’s Department of Elections continues a tradition of participating in a staple of Delaware summer life, the Delaware State Fair. The Department returns to this year’s Fair with a fun and engaging presence in the air-conditioned Exhibit Hall. Stop by to learn about Delaware’s elections system, register to vote, update your voter registration, or learn some “fun facts” about Delaware’s government and elections system — and maybe win some prizes, including a Kindle®!

“We look forward to participating in the Fair each year as a key piece of our outreach to Delaware’s voters,” said Delaware State Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove. “We hope that many voters will stop by to learn more about the services available for them. We are particularly proud of our iVote portal, a ‘one-stop shop’ where Delaware’s voters can take care of just about anything elections-related, securely and at their convenience.”

State Fair hours are: 12 Noon to 10 p.m. on July 23rd, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from July 24th through August 1st. Find more information about the fair at the Fair’s web site. Visit the Department of Elections web site for information about elections, voting and the iVote portal.

Wilmington, DE – The Department of Elections for New Castle County issues the 2013 Voter Registration Report  as required by Delaware Code, Title 15, ss2052. The 2013 report shows that the Department registered 13,424 new voters, updated addresses for 21,269 registered voters and cancelled the registrations of 19,243 registered voters. The registrations were cancelled because the people were deceased, had moved out of state or had been determined no longer eligible in accordance with procedures in the National Voter Registration Act.

The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) continues to be the source of most transactions. In 2013 DMV generated 83.9% of the transactions processed by the Department. The Department generated 12.3% of the transactions, the Address Verification program generated 1.4% of the transactions and the State’s Online Registration Tool generated about 1% of the transactions. The remaining transactions came from other sources.

The Department devotes considerable resources in updating the list of registered voters. The report shows that commitment in the number of updated addresses, names and political party affiliations as well as in the number of persons whose registrations have been cancelled.

The State’s involvement in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) has given the Department more tools to identify and remove deceased voters, remove and/or merge duplicate records, contact registered voters who have moved out of state in order to get their permission to cancel their registrations and to update addresses of other registered voters. About 25% of the address updates in 2013 and about 10% of the cancelled registrations in 2013 were identified through ERIC.

The State will roll out a true online voter registration system with additional voter service tools in the near future. The current “tool” requires people to print, sign and return their application. The new system will give an applicant several methods of applying their signature to their application. Those who use one of those methods would be able to submit their completed application online. People who can’t use one of the online signature options or choose not to do so will still have the print, sign and mail option.

Copies of previous reports are also available.

Contact: Howard G. Sholl, Jr.,  Department of Elections for New Castle County, Phone: 302.577.3464