Hunters: What You Need to Know

Hunting season gets underway in Delaware on September 1. Get all the information you need to go afield.

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Migratory Bird Hunting

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife provides opportunities for migratory bird hunting on state wildlife areas. The following is a summary of those opportunities and the procedures and rules that apply. Hunting Seasons

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Ticks and Domestic Animals and Wildlife

It’s not just humans who can be affected by ticks. Tick-caused diseases and related problems also affect many wildlife species and domestic animals.

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Public Hearing: Proposed Revisions to the Tidal Finfish Regulations (Tilefish)

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public hearing to consider comments from the public on proposed revisions to 7 DE Admin. Code 3542 “Tilefish.”

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Public Hearing: Proposed Revisions to the Tidal Finfish Regulations (Cobia)

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public hearing to consider comments from the public on proposed revisions to 7 DE Admin. Code 3550 “Cobia.”

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Report Atlantic Sturgeon

You can help DNREC research and manage the local population of Atlantic sturgeon, a rare and endangered fish. Simply use our reporting form to let us know of any interactions you have with this fish. Submit a Report

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Protecting Yourself from Ticks

Ticks live in several different habitat types and can be found throughout Delaware in forests, meadows and wetlands. They are also found in yards and residential areas. Ticks are active year-round if temperatures are above freezing. Dr. Ashley

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Tick Management

There are a few simple measures you can take to help keep you safe from ticks around the home. In the

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Ticks of Delaware

There are five species of tick commonly found in Delaware. Identifying which tick has bitten you can help you take steps to protect yourself. There are also a handful of arthropods that are sometimes mistaken for ticks. Dr.

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Tick Program

DNREC’s tick program conducts year-round, statewide active and passive surveillance for ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Knowing when and where different tick species occur in the state, and whether or not they’re infected with pathogens such as the agent of Lyme disease, helps protect public health. [panel

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Tick-Associated Diseases in Delaware

While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in Delaware, there are other tick-associated diseases to be aware of in case you suffer a tick bite. Dr. Ashley Kennedy Tick Biologist 302-601-6408

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Photo Contest Gallery

This page contains photographs that have been submitted for the first annual Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) nature photography contest, including the winning submissions. The contest was open to photographers of all ages.

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AREC Nature Photo Contest

Photographers and nature lovers are invited by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to submit photographs for the first annual Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) nature photography contest. Winning Entriesand Photo Gallery   [panel type=”success” heading=”Contact

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Nature Photo Contest Entry and Release Form

This page includes the Official Rules and an online Entry and Release Form for the DNREC Aquatic Resources Education Center’s first annual Nature Photography contest. This contest is now closed to new entries.  Official Rules Deadline for Entry The photo submission and the completed Entry and Release Form(s) must be submitted

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Delaware Marina Pumpout Stations

A list of Delaware Marina Pumpout Stations for use by boaters in Delaware waters. [column

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Horseshoe Crabs, Shorebirds and the Delaware Bay

You can witness the amazing annual convergence of spawning horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds along the Delaware Bayshore every spring. DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor is one of the best places to observe this wonder of nature. The Horseshoe Crabs Each spring, with warming water temperatures, hundreds of thousands

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Mosquito Control Spraying Calendar

The DNREC Mosquito Control Section provides multiple communication channels to share information about planned mosquito control spraying in Delaware. These include the mosquito control spraying calendar (below), the online Spray Zone Map and the Spray Zone Notification System. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=glasgowmosquito%40gmail.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York

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Snow Goose Conservation Order

The Snow Goose Conservation Order is a separate season only for snow geese that occurs when Delaware’s regular waterfowl hunting seasons are closed. Liberal harvest methods are allowed during the Conservation Order to help reduce the large snow goose population that is damaging its Arctic nesting grounds, as well as wetlands and agricultural lands on

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Annual Turkey Harvest Data

The table below shows the numbers of wild turkeys harvested each year during annual Delaware wild turkey hunting seasons, from 1991 to the present. Year Adult Juvenile Unk. Total 1991

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Wild Turkey Surveys

Since 2010, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has used an annual, volunteer-based survey to record observations of wild turkeys across the state during the months of July and August. Division of Fish and Wildlife 302-735-3600

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Turkey Hunting Check Stations

All turkeys harvested during Delaware’s wild turkey hunting season must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested. The list of check stations is subject to change without notice. Please check back before the season begins for any changes. Check station hours may vary.

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Wild Turkey Hunting

The 2021 spring wild turkey hunting season will run from April 10 through May 8, 2021. A special one-day hunt for youth and non-ambulatory hunters is set for April 3, 2021. Wild Turkeys in Delaware [button type=”info” block=”true”

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Turkey Harvest Distribution — Public Lands

The table below shows the distribution of wild turkeys harvested among public lands hunting areas for the 2016 through 2020 wild turkey hunting seasons. State Wildlife Areas are administered by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. State Forest lands are administered by the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. [column

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Wild Turkeys in Delaware

The wild turkey population in Delaware is one of the greatest conservation success stories in the region. The Division of Fish and Wildlife has reintroduced wild turkeys, once lost to Delaware. It now manages an ongoing conservation program and annual turkey hunting season. [panel type=”success” heading=”Contact

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Eco-Explorers Virtual Field Trip Registration

This form is for teachers and homeschool groups to register for an Eco-Explorers virtual field trip with the Aquatic Resources Education Center. There is no charge for the field trip but please register if you plan to use the virtual field trip material. This will help us provide additional programs in the future.

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Virtual Eco-Explorers Field Trip Program

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Aquatic Resources Education Center now offers a virtual version of the Eco-Explorers field trip program that school groups can use until it becomes possible to resume traditional, in-person field trips. Mary Rivera

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Delaware Hunting Seasons

Delaware hunting seasons generally begin in September and run through early February of the following year. Specific seasons, based on species and method of take, begin and end on different dates throughout the year. Wildlife Area Maps

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Have You Seen Me?

We are mapping sightings of Delmarva fox squirrels and you can help. Use this form to report sightings and share information about this rare species. The Delmarva fox squirrel is no longer classified as an endangered or threatened species at the federal level. But it is still rare in Delaware. We are mapping the

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Sunday Deer Hunting

State law allows Sunday deer hunting during established deer hunting seasons on private lands, with landowner permission, and on designated publicly-owned lands. Delaware’s 2021/2022 deer seasons fall between Sept. 1, 2021 and Jan. 31, 2022. Hunting on Sundays is allowed using those methods legal for the hunting seasons in effect on each Sunday. Deer

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The Delaware Bayshore Initiative

Extending from Pea Patch Island in New Castle County to the City of Lewes in Sussex County, the Delaware Bay shoreline is widely recognized as an area of global ecological significance. Its expansive coastal marshes, shoreline, agricultural lands and forests provide diverse habitat to many species, including

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Eco-Explorers Field Trips

Eco-Explorers is a free field trip program designed for fifth grade students in Delaware. Participants visit the Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC), where they experience and explore connections between plants and animals within a tidal salt marsh ecosystem. Virtual Field Trips In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Aquatic

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Horseshoe Crab Education Resources for Teachers

Each spring during May and June, the ancient, amazing and globally significant ritual of horseshoe crab spawning and mass shorebird migration brings visitors from around the world to our Delaware Bayshore backyards. The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers a variety of resources to support teachers who are educating about this phenomenon. [column md=”5″

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Aquatic Resources Education Center

The Aquatic Resources Education Center, operated by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, focuses on wetlands, fishing and other aquatic education themes.

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Youth Fishing Programs

The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers free fishing lessons for children and young teens, through the Take A Kid Fishing! program. Younger children can learn about Delaware’s amazing fish and aquatic creatures by participating in the Small Fry Adventures program. Once you are hooked on fishing you can try one of our kid-friendly fishing

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DuPont Nature Center

The DuPont Nature Center is located in the beautiful Mispillion Harbor, where the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek meet and flow out into the Delaware Bay. It is a science-based educational and interpretive facility with interactive exhibits designed to connect people with the Delaware Bay’s natural history and ecology. [column

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Virtual Public Hearing: Striped Bass Size Limits and Possession Limits

The Division of Fish & Wildlife will conduct a public hearing (Docket #2020-R-F-0015) on proposed revisions to the regulations governing recreational fishing for Striped Bass.

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Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center

The Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center is one of two state shooting ranges managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. It offers trap and skeet shooting, rifle and pistol shooting, archery, and more. The Ommelanden Training Center

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Plants and Plant Communities

Delaware has more than 1,600 species of native plants. More than a quarter of them are rare and can be found in more than 100 different terrestrial and wetland habitat types. The Division of Fish and Wildlife, working with the Water Resources Center, part of the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, maintains

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Become a Shorebird Project Volunteer

Spring brings the shorebird migration season. The Delaware Shorebird Project needs experienced and dedicated volunteers for the field season each spring. [button type=”info”

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Federal Funding for Fish and Wildlife

The Division of Fish and Wildlife uses a combination of federal funds and revenue from recreational licenses and permits to fund wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, public access, hunting, fishing and other services. Delaware receives federal funds from the Wildlife Restoration Act, the Sport Fish Restoration Act, and State Wildlife Grants to support wildlife conservation,

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Delaware Bay Ecology

The Delaware Bay is extraordinarily rich in biological resources. The beaches, mudflats, and marshes that line Delaware Bay provide abundant food and habitat for many species.

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Piping Plover Program

Dwindling populations have landed the Piping Plovers on the federal Endangered Species List. Delaware’s Piping Plover Program monitors these beach-nesting birds, provides habitat protection and educates the beach-going public. Henrietta Bellman Coastal Avian Biologist 302-735-3612

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Shorebird Research and Monitoring

Each May, the Delaware Shorebird Project carries out its research objectives during the shorebirds’ stopover in the Bay. The brief field season brings long, but rewarding, days on the coast. Henrietta Bellman Coastal Avian Biologist 302-735-3600

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Osprey Monitoring

Delaware’s osprey population is one of the state’s greatest conservation success stories. From the days of DDT and the collapse of many raptor populations, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, ospreys in Delaware have rebounded and the population continues to grow and expand state-wide. [panel type=”success” heading=”Contact Us”

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The Delaware Shorebird Project

Shorebirds are an important part of the ecology of Delaware’s shorelines. But they are under threat; populations are declining. The Delaware Shorebird Project works to mitigate that threat, through research and monitoring, habitat protection, and management planning. Henrietta

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Delaware Wildlife Action Plan

The Division of Fish and Wildlife has created a Delaware Wildlife Action Plan to coordinate wildlife conservation practices in the 21st century. Funds appropriated by Congress through the State Wildlife Grants program require states to demonstrate comprehensive wildlife conservation needs. “Comprehensive” includes all species and all habitats. The federal State Wildlife

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Do-it-Yourself Phragmites Control Tips

The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers a phragmites control cost-share program to help landowners control larger stands of phragmites. There are steps landowners can take themselves to control smaller areas of phragmites. Herbicides That Can be Used Sources for Aquatic Glyphosate

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Cost Share Program Questions and Answers

A list of frequently asked questions, and answers, about the phragmites control cost-share program offered by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. [button type=”info”

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Operation Terrapin Rescue at Port Mahon

Operation Terrapin Rescue is a volunteer program to help Diamondback terrapins move safely between the Delaware Bay and their nesting sites near Port Mahon. It also collects accurate and valuable data on the terrapins’ movements. Nate Nazdrowicz Species Conservation

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Environmental Reviews

The Species Conservation and Research Program (SCRP) continuously updates information on rare plant and animal species and vegetation communities in Delaware. The SCRP is the state’s most comprehensive, centralized source of information on rare plants, animals, and vegetation communities.

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