A public meeting was held the evening of July 31 at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Auditorium in Dover to discuss the current changes in deer hunting regulations. I didn’t count the number of folks who attended, but it was a pretty good crowd.
First, the good news. The attempt by the Department of Agriculture to lease out two tracts of the Redden State Forest has failed. There were no bids received from any hunt clubs, so the matter is considered closed. No reason was given for the failure; I am just glad it happened.
The primary reason for this meeting was to explain how the new Sunday deer hunting regulation will be implemented. The Legislature voted to allow additional deer hunting on Sundays. Beginning Sept. 1, with the opening of archery and crossbow seasons, there will be a total of 23 Sundays available for this sport. There will be six more Sundays available for shotgun and muzzleloader hunting, and one Special Youth - Nonambulatory Disabled Firearm Sunday.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife put together regulations for Sunday hunting on state wildlife areas. As it stands now, Sunday hunting will be allowed on all state wildlife areas for archery and crossbows. Firearms hunting is permitted on most of the wildlife areas with the exception of those areas considered multi-use where Sunday hunting would conflict with the primary purpose such as dog training. There will be no Sunday firearms hunting during the October antlerless season on many of the wildlife areas. This can be a bit confusing, but the department has put a map online that lays out exactly what areas are open and when.
The Department of Agriculture will only allow Sunday hunting on two tracts of the Redden State Forest. Those are the Tunnell and Long tracts, the same ones that they tried to lease to hunt clubs. Sunday hunting is open on private land with the owner’s permission.
The reason for the expansion of Sunday deer hunting is the crop damage inflicted by deer as well as the danger they pose to motorists. The governor laid out his concerns about these issues in his State of the State address, and DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has been working with the Legislature to expand hunting opportunities while decreasing the deer population. Farmers who can demonstrate crop damage caused by deer may receive permission to kill more deer using crop damage permits. These permits only allow the killing of does as a method of control. This system has several levels and farmers can qualify by different means.
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge will take applications for its headquarters deer hunts only in person at the refuge office on Turkle Pond Road off Route 16. The hunts are scheduled for Nov. 17 and Jan. 19. Stands may be used during the hunt, but must be removed at the end of the day. They may not be attached by nails, screws, wire or bolts. For more information, contact the refuge office at 302-684-8419. Hunting information and regulations will soon be available at http://primehook.fws.gov.
Fishing report
The weather has been a big problem not only in Delaware, but also for our friends who fish the Upper Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard has issued a warning about all the debris washed into the bay when the floodgates were opened at the Conowingo Dam. One B.A.S.S. Tournament in the Upper Bay last weekend had to be cancelled. All of this muddy water will impact not only fishing, but the underwater grasses that were making a comeback.
If you could get out between thunderstorms, wind and just general rain, the fishing was pretty good. Boats that made it to the 12-Fathom Lump on Sunday and Monday found both yellowfin and bluefin tuna plus several dolphin on the chunk.
Closer to shore, Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds produced flounder and a few sea bass. As has been the case all summer, if you manage one or two flounder per person on the boat you have had a pretty good day.
The Lewes and Rehoboth Canal keeps producing keeper flounder. The water temperature here is approaching 80 degrees, and that is way above a flounder’s comfort level. Bucktails with Gulp! or squid strips along with live minnows have caught most of these flatfish.
The fishing pier in Cape Henlopen State Park has seen a mixed bag of croaker, spot and flounder. Try bloodworms for the croaker and spot with live minnows for the flounder. A few more flounder along with some croaker have been caught out of the Back Bays and Indian River Inlet. Massey’s Ditch has been the most productive location.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
