Snow Goose Conservation Order, special youth waterfowl hunting day to open

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is promoting additional hunting opportunities in February with the opening of the Snow Goose Conservation Order Feb. 4 and the second special youth waterfowl hunting day on Feb. 9.

Snow Goose Conservation Order

The Snow Goose Conservation Order will be open Monday, Feb. 4 through Friday, Feb. 8, closing for the youth waterfowl hunting day on Saturday, Feb. 9, and reopening Monday, Feb. 11 through Friday, April 12. Snow goose hunters can still hunt on the youth waterfowl day, when regular snow goose season bag limits and hunting regulations apply. The Snow Goose Conservation Order is a separate season open only for snow geese that occurs when Delaware’s regular waterfowl hunting seasons are closed. The Snow Goose Conservation Order is not open on Sundays.

During the Snow Goose Conservation Order, liberal harvest methods are allowed to help reduce the large snow goose population that is damaging its Arctic nesting grounds and local wetlands and agricultural lands in the Mid-Atlantic region where the birds overwinter. Unplugged shotguns and electronic calls are allowed. Legal shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset, and there are no daily bag and possession limits. All other federal and state hunting regulations apply. If hunting on a state wildlife area where the Conservation Order is open, hunters should refer to Wildlife Area Hunting Maps for specific rules and regulations.

Hunters participating in the Snow Goose Conservation Order must obtain a free permit number, which must be in their possession while hunting. Hunters also are required to report their Conservation Order hunting activity and harvest success to the Division of Fish & Wildlife by Wednesday, May 1. Conservation Order permits can be obtained and harvest reports can be submitted online at Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration; hunters may also call 302-735-3600 during business hours Monday through Friday.

Conservation Order participants are also required to have a valid Delaware hunting license or license-exempt number (LEN) or a Maryland resident hunting license (unless exempt in Maryland), a 2018/2019 Delaware waterfowl stamp (unless exempt), and a Delaware Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. A federal waterfowl stamp is not required.

Youth waterfowl hunt set for Feb. 9

The one-day, special youth waterfowl hunting day on Feb. 9 is open for hunters ages 10 to 15. Youth hunters must be of sufficient physical size and strength to safely handle a firearm, and must be accompanied by a licensed or license-exempt adult hunter age 21 or older who cannot possess a firearm during the youth hunt.

Youth hunters age 13 through 15 must have completed a hunter education course, obtained a Hunter Ed certification card, and purchased a Delaware junior hunting license. Youth hunters age 10 through 12 must possess a license-exempt number (LEN) and may have taken a hunter education course. All youth waterfowl hunters will need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. No state or federal waterfowl stamps are required for youth hunters. Normal daily waterfowl bag limits and hunting regulations apply and youth hunters also are permitted to harvest 25 snow geese and two Canada geese during the special waterfowl hunting day.

Youth waterfowl hunting is available on most Division of Fish & Wildlife wildlife areas, with a lottery drawing for waterfowl blinds held 1.5 hours before legal shooting time at Augustine, Cedar Swamp, Woodland Beach, and Assawoman, and two hours before legal shooting time at Little Creek and Ted Harvey. Other state wildlife areas that allow waterfowl hunting but do not have lotteries are also open on the youth waterfowl day. Wildlife area rules and regulations are available at Wildlife Area Hunting Maps.

Additional Information

A Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN) is required to hunt, and most waterfowl hunters require a Delaware waterfowl (duck) stamp. More information on hunting license and Delaware waterfowl stamp requirements is available at Delaware Licenses. Waterfowl and other migratory game bird (except crow) hunters need a Federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. To register for a LEN or HIP number, hunters can go to Delaware Hunter and Trapper Registration or call toll free 1-855-335-4868. For hunters age 16 and older, a federal migratory bird stamp is also required to hunt waterfowl.

To purchase a hunting license, hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1967, must have 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, Delaware waterfowl stamps, 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. Federal migratory bird stamps are available at U.S. Post Offices, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges, online at Federal duck stamps, and the American Birding Association in Delaware City (weekdays only).

For more information on hunting and trapping, click 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide and Wildlife Area Hunting Maps. Hard copies of the 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. For more information, visit www.fw.delaware.gov.

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. 24

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

DOVER – To promote and provide additional hunting opportunities for youth hunters, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has designated Saturday, Feb. 10 as the second of two special youth waterfowl hunting days for ages 10 to 15 to be held on both public and private lands.

Youth hunters must be of sufficient physical size and strength to safely handle a firearm, and must be accompanied by a licensed or license-exempt adult hunter age 21 or older who cannot possess a firearm during the youth hunt. Youth hunters age 13 through 15 must have completed a hunter education course, obtained a Hunter Ed certification card, and purchased a Delaware junior hunting license. Youth hunters age 10 through 12 must possess a license-exempt number (LEN) and may have taken hunter education but are not required at these younger ages. No state or federal waterfowl stamps are required for youth hunters. Normal daily waterfowl bag limits and hunting regulations apply and youth hunters also are permitted to harvest snow geese and two Canada geese during the special waterfowl hunting day.

On state wildlife areas, a lottery drawing for waterfowl blinds will be held 1.5 hours before legal shooting time at Augustine, Cedar Swamp, Woodland Beach, Ted Harvey and Assawoman, and two hours before legal shooting time at Little Creek Wildlife Area. Hunters should plan to arrive in time to sign up for the drawing. All other state wildlife areas that do not have lotteries but that allow waterfowl hunting are also open on the youth day. Hunters and those who will accompany them also should check each wildlife area’s rules before hunting.

Following the youth waterfowl hunt, the 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, defoliation and degradation to wetlands and agricultural areas where the birds overwinter in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware. The state’s 2018 Conservation Order to harvest snow geese will open Monday, Feb. 12 and run through Friday, April 13.

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 6,454 snow geese were harvested by more than 863 hunters who participated in the Conservation Order in Delaware.

During the Conservation Order, hunters may 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.

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 2017/18 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 harvest success to the Division of Fish & Wildlife by Tuesday, 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.

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

Vol. 48, No. 24

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

Delaware youth waterfowl hunting day set for Oct. 21, youth deer hunting day Nov. 4  

DOVER – To promote the sport and provide additional hunting opportunities, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has designated three upcoming Saturdays as youth hunting days on both public and private lands statewide. Youth waterfowl hunting days for youth hunters ages 10 through 15 will be Oct. 21 and Feb. 10, 2018. Delaware’s annual deer hunting day for youth hunters, as well as for non-ambulatory disabled hunters, will be Nov. 4.

Youth hunters must be of sufficient physical size and strength to safely handle a firearm and must be accompanied by an adult companion age 21 or older who possesses a valid Delaware hunting license or is legally exempt from purchasing a license. Only the youth hunter may possess a firearm. Youth hunters age 13 through 15 must have completed a hunter education course, possess a certification card and purchase a Delaware junior hunting license. Youth hunters age 10 through 12 must possess a license exempt number and may take hunter education.

To hunt on state wildlife areas that require a lottery, youth hunters do not need to purchase a deer stand/waterfowl blind permit to participate in the special youth-only days, but they are required to have this permit in order to hunt during all other deer and waterfowl seasons.

New this year, registered motor vehicles used to access designated public lands 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 vehicle pass with the purchase of each Delaware hunting license. To obtain a free CAP, or to purchase an additional pass, hunters will need to have the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned.

Delaware hunting licenses, permits, and conservation access passes are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or make a purchase online, visit Delaware Licenses. Hunters not required to purchase a hunting license may obtain their license exempt number by visiting the Hunter and Trapper Registration System website or by calling 1-855-DEL-HUNT (1-855-335-4868).

For more information on hunting in Delaware, click on 2017-2018 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk and from license agents statewide. For information on specific wildlife areas, click Delaware Wildlife Area Maps. Printed maps also are available at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife also reminds hunters of all ages to take along their cameras for a great opportunity to take photos that might be entered in the Division’s annual Delaware Hunting Photo Contest, with the winner to be published in next year’s Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. Deadline for contest entries is Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Information and forms are available online at Fish & Wildlife photo contest or may be requested by calling Jennifer Childears at 302-739-9910, or email jennifer.childears@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 47, No. 225

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