DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife announces Delaware turkey season to open April 13

Special turkey hunt for youth hunters and disabled hunters on April 6

DOVER – Delaware’s month-long spring turkey hunting season opens Saturday, April 13 and runs through Saturday, May 11, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Only bearded turkeys may be harvested, and the bag limit is one bearded turkey per hunter each year, regardless of where and when a gobbler is harvested.

A special statewide one-day turkey hunt for youth ages 10-15 and for disabled hunters requiring a wheelchair for mobility will be held Saturday, April 6 from a half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. Youth hunters on this one-day turkey hunt must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who has a Delaware hunting license or is license-exempt. The accompanying adult may not hunt.

All harvested birds must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day the bird was harvested. A list of check stations is available at 2019 Turkey Check Stations. Check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station to confirm hours of operation. Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records are reminded to have their bird’s weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will be directed to another station to have the turkey weighed.

Hunting on state wildlife areas and state forests during the spring turkey hunting season requires carrying the public land permit that was issued through a preseason lottery, with the permit specifying the public land and season segment/dates that can be hunted. Hunters participating in the special turkey hunt for youth and disabled hunters on April 6 may hunt without a public land permit on those state wildlife areas and state forests that are open to turkey hunting during the regular turkey hunting season.

All turkey hunters 13 years of age and older must have completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class, including youth ages 13-15 participating in the special youth turkey hunt on April 6. Turkey hunters under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who has a Delaware hunting license or is license-exempt. The Hunter Education/Turkey Education card certifying successful completion of the mandatory turkey course must be carried when turkey hunting.

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt. More information on hunting license requirements is available at Delaware Licenses. To register for a LEN number, hunters can go to Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration or call toll free 1-855-335-4868.

To purchase a hunting license, either in person or online, hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, must present a basic hunter education safety course card/number. Hunters who took a Delaware hunter safety course starting in 2008 can print their hunter safety card by going to http://de.gov/huntersafety. Hunters who took their Delaware hunter safety course before 2008 should call the Hunter Education Office at 302-735-3600, ext. 1 to obtain a hunter safety card.

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish & 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 free CAP, or to purchase an additional pass, hunters will need the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned.

Delaware hunting licenses and Conservation Access Passes can be purchased online at Delaware Licenses, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide.

For more information on hunting, click 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide and Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. Hard copies of guide and newly-updated hunting maps are also available at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office. More information on hunting licenses, season details, and conservation access passes is also available by calling the Wildlife Section office at 302-739-9912.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 76


DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announces registration open for Delaware’s mandatory wild turkey hunting courses

Photograph courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

DOVER – With Delaware’s annual wild turkey hunting season approaching, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Hunter Education Program reminds both resident and non-resident hunters that they must pass a turkey hunting course approved by the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife before they can legally hunt turkeys in the First State. Other hunter education requirements also apply for anyone hunting turkeys in Delaware. These requirements have collectively helped Delaware turkey hunters achieve an excellent hunting safety record.

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

  • Kent County – Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE 19901
  • New Castle County – Saturday, March 9 at the Ommelanden Hunter/Trapper Education Training Center and Range, 1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720
  • Sussex County – Sunday, March 24 at the Lewes Fire Department, Station #2 at Nassau, 32198 Janice Road, Lewes, DE 19958

Delaware’s turkey hunter education course teaches students age 10 and older turkey hunting safety information, as well as current wild turkey hunting laws and regulations in the state. Students also learn wild turkey biology and behavior, Delaware’s wild turkey history, and turkey calling, which can help improve turkey hunting success.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to print their Delaware Turkey Hunter Safety Card or have the turkey course certification added to their Delaware Hunter Education Card. Such proof of both hunter education and turkey hunting safety certification must be carried while turkey hunting.

All students planning to attend one of the courses must register in advance. To register for a 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.

Delaware’s 2019 wild turkey season will run from Saturday, April 13 through Saturday, May 11, excluding Sundays, with a youth/non-ambulatory disabled turkey hunt on Saturday, April 6. For more information on wild turkey hunting in Delaware, click on 2018-2019 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.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 9


DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announces wild turkey hunters harvested 571 birds in 2018

DOVER – Delaware’s month-long spring turkey season, which ended May 12, yielded 571 birds, 12.4 percent lower than last year’s harvest of 652 birds, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Tough weather-related hunting conditions during the first and last week of the season appear to have contributed to the lower harvest this year. Delaware allows only the harvest of turkeys with beards – almost always males – during the spring season, the only time of year turkeys may be hunted in the state.

The four-week season breakdown was 237 birds harvested during the first week, 126 during the second week, 102 in the third week, and 90 in the final week. Sixteen birds were harvested by youth hunters during the special youth/non-ambulatory disabled hunt day held in early April.

Highlights of the 2018 season included the harvest of 28 “non-typical” turkeys, consisting of gobblers with more than one beard. Of birds with multiple beards, the majority (24) had two beards, three had three beards, and one had six beards. The longest-bearded bird had a 13-inch beard. The longest spurs on a harvested bird were 1¾ inches on the right leg and 1⅞ inches on the left leg. The heaviest bird harvested weighed 25 lbs. 2 oz.

Turkeys were harvested in 17 of 18 wildlife management zones. A hot spot for harvest occurred in five zones stretching from zones 4, 6, 7, and 8 in western Kent County through zone 11 between Seaford and Georgetown in Sussex County, and accounted for just under half of the total statewide harvest. Zone 1A, which is in New Castle County north of I-95/295, was the only zone where no birds were harvested.

This year, 83 percent of the turkeys were harvested on privately-owned lands. Hunters also were successful on 20 public land areas open for turkey hunting. With quality hunting opportunities available statewide on Division of Fish & Wildlife-managed state wildlife areas and Delaware Department of Agriculture-managed state forests, hunters bagged 95 birds, a decrease of 11 percent from 2017.

For hunters planning ahead, the 2019 wild turkey season will open Saturday, April 13 and run through Saturday, May 11, with the special youth and non-ambulatory disabled hunter day set for Saturday, April 6. Hunters should check the 2018/19 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide for changes to the public land turkey lottery application process. Hunters are required to take a turkey hunter education class before hunting wild turkeys in Delaware. For more information, go to Delaware Hunter Education Courses.

For more information on wild turkeys in Delaware, please contact Justyn Foth, waterfowl, turkey and upland gamebird biologist, Division of Fish & Wildlife, at 302-735-3600.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 48, No. 178


Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Blotter: March 27-April 2

Reminder for the week: Safe, ethical hunting practices encouraged for Delaware turkey season opening April 8

DE F&W Natural Resources Police logoDOVER – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between March 27-April 2 made 1,007 contacts with anglers, hunters, boaters and the general public, including 26 vessel boardings for boating safety, hunting and fishing regulation compliance checks, issuing 15 citations. Officers responded to 26 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public. An increased Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence continued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Fisheries Conservation: Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (5), possession of shad in a closed area (1), and possession of blueback herring in a closed area (1).

Boating and Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (2), and operating a personal watercraft (PWC) without lifejackets (2).

Other: Operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area (2)*, damaging state property on a wildlife area (1), and trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (1).

*Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

Are you AWARE?

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind the public that Delaware’s 2017 spring wild turkey hunting season begins Saturday, April 8 and runs through Saturday, May 6. With the excitement of spring turkey season, hunters are reminded to always place safety and ethical hunting practices first and foremost.

Unlike some other types of hunting, turkey hunting is an interactive sport that often involves calling to the birds and moving around in the woods to increase the opportunity of harvesting a gobbler. Hunters are reminded that it is unlawful to drive wild turkeys, to shoot a wild turkey on the roost or, for safety purposes, to wear red, white or blue while hunting.

While in pursuit of wild turkeys, hunters are also reminded that it is unlawful to hunt turkeys while using bait as an attractant. Some common bait that is illegally used includes wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and various birdseed blends. Hunters are responsible for ensuring that no bait is present in an area where they are hunting turkeys.

Delaware offers hunting opportunities for wild turkeys on several state wildlife areas and state forests by permit only. To hunt wild turkeys on public land in Delaware, hunters must enter a pre-season lottery from which public lands permits are drawn. Delaware’s wild turkey season is broken down into four week-long segments. Turkey hunters are drawn via the lottery and issued a permit that enables them to hunt a specified public land area during a specified one-week segment.

Hunters selected for a public land permit must carry their permit, as well as their turkey education card and hunting license at all times while hunting. Always remember that a public permit only allows turkey hunting in a specific designated wildlife area or state forest and only during the one designated week of turkey season.

For hunters who harvest a spring gobbler, the Division of Fish & Wildlife requires that the turkey be checked at an authorized check station by 2:30 p.m. on the same day the turkey was harvested. Information obtained through the check stations is used by the Division of Fish & Wildlife to help manage Delaware’s wild turkey population.

2017 turkey check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station where they are likely to check a bird to confirm the hours of operation. Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records also are reminded to have their bird’s live weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will be directed to another station to have the turkey re-weighed.

For turkey hunters who need to purchase a Delaware hunting license, licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware hunting licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on hunting in Delaware, visit the 2016-2017 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk and from license agents throughout the state. For more information about public lands that allow turkey hunting, look at the Wildlife Area Hunting Maps or State Forest Maps.

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 de.gov/ogt.

Media Contact: Sgt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386


Division of Fish & Wildlife announces Delaware’s 2016 wild turkey season produced new state record harvest of 706 birds

DOVER – Delaware’s month-long spring turkey season, which ended May 7, yielded 706 birds – a new state record, surpassing the previous record of 687 in 2014, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Delaware allows only the harvest of turkeys with beards – almost always males – during the spring season, the only time of year turkeys may be hunted here.

“The recovery of the wild turkey in Delaware is a remarkable conservation success, made possible by the stewardship of hunters and the Delaware Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation,” said Division of Fish & Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “Such stewardship includes the Division using hunting license revenues and federal funds derived from the purchase of hunting equipment to restore and sustain the state’s wild turkey population, which helped establish the sport of turkey hunting in Delaware.”

“The turkey harvest really started climbing in 2005, and we have experienced a five-fold increase in harvest over the last decade,” said Joe Rogerson, Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist and program manager with Species Conservation and Research. “The growing popularity of turkey hunting combined with a robust turkey population and abundant habitat has provided a fantastic spring hunting opportunity.”

Highlights of the 2016 season included the harvest of 36 “non-typical” turkeys, consisting of gobblers with more than one beard and one turkey with two spurs on each of its legs. Since Delaware opened turkey hunting in 1991, this was the first turkey harvested in Delaware that had multiple spurs on a leg, as nearly all male turkeys have one spur on each leg. Of the birds with multiple beards, the majority – 36 – had two beards, 10 had three beards and three had four beards.

Birds were harvested in 17 of 18 wildlife management zones. Three zones stood out as turkey “hot spots” – zones 4 and 6 in western Kent County, and zone 11 between Seaford and Georgetown in Sussex County – accounting for 38 percent of the total statewide harvest. Zone 1A, which is in New Castle County north of I-95/295, was the only zone where no birds were harvested.

This year, nearly nine out of 10 birds harvested in Delaware came from private land – 86.3 percent of the 706 turkeys harvested. Hunters also were successful on public lands, with 92 birds bagged. Quality hunting opportunities on public land were available statewide as evidenced by turkeys being harvested from 20 different public land areas.

For hunters planning ahead, the 2017 wild turkey season will start Saturday, April 8 and run through Saturday, May 6, with the special youth and disabled hunter day set for Saturday, April 1. Also, before hunting wild turkeys in Delaware, hunters are required to take a turkey hunter education class. For more information, go to Delaware Hunter Education Courses.

In addition to setting overall turkey harvest records, Delaware hunters also harvested a record 14,681 deer during the 2015/16 hunting season.

“To set records for the overall harvest of both deer and turkeys during the same hunting season is certainly a testament to effective wildlife management and the great opportunities available to hunters for these two important game species,” Rogerson said.

For more information on wild turkeys in Delaware, please contact Joe Rogerson, Division of Fish & Wildlife, at 302-735-3600.

The wild turkey: A Delaware conservation success story
Beginning in early 1984, with support from the National Wild Turkey Federation, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists released 34 wild-trapped turkeys from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Vermont into Sussex and Kent counties. Reintroductions continued through the 1990s, and once the population had established a foothold in Delaware, a hunting season was opened in 1991. Today, Delaware has a healthy statewide population estimated at 6,000 birds.

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

Vol. 46, No. 205