DNREC announces five Sunday deer hunting opportunities to begin Oct. 9

DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife announced five upcoming Sunday deer hunting opportunities for the 2016-17 hunting season, based on a recent change in state law that allows Sunday deer hunting in Delaware. The new law allows only for hunting deer on Sunday, no other game, with deer hunting to be allowed on selected public lands on the following Sunday dates: Oct. 9, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 11  and Jan. 15.

Sunday deer hunting is also allowed on private lands in Delaware on the same dates, with landowner permission required.

After consideration of public input and recommendations of the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish, the Division Fish and Wildlife announced that selected tracts on 80 percent of Delaware’s state wildlife areas will be open for deer hunting on the dates above. To learn which wildlife area tracts are open for Sunday deer hunting, and for more details about Sunday deer hunting opportunities in Delaware, including county overview maps of the wildlife areas, go to http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov.

State wildlife areas and public lands in Sussex County that have selected tracts open to Sunday deer hunting, but other tracts that are closed to Sunday deer hunting on the dates above are Assawoman Wildlife Area, near Millville; Nanticoke Wildlife Area, Seaford/Bethel area; and Milford Neck Wildlife Area.

Deer can be hunted on selected public lands open to Sunday deer hunting during Delaware’s regular hunting hours of one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. All DNREC’s Delaware State Parks lands are closed to Sunday deer hunting. Hunting on private property always requires landowner permission.

For more information on Sunday deer hunting, or to request printed copies of wildlife area maps showing areas open and closed to Sunday deer hunting, call 302-739-9912. For more information on the 2016-17 hunting seasons and Division of Fish and Wildlife-managed wildlife areas, consult the 2016-17 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide and Delaware Wildlife Area Maps. Printed copies of the guide and maps are available at DNREC’s licensing desk in the Richardson and Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover. The guide is also available from license agents throughout the state.