Hunting rules undergo last-minute change
Days before new regulations for hunters under 21 were to go into effect for the fall hunting season, the rules for some changed.
Hunters ages 18 to under 21 no longer need hunting supervision to hunt with any type of allowed weapon. In new regulations released Aug. 30 by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, hunters under the age of 16 must be supervised at all times by someone 21 or older, and those 16 to under 18 must be supervised when using a muzzleloader, shotgun, handgun, or rifles such as a center or rimfire style.
The change comes following an Aug. 29 court decision ruling in favor of a challenge to a state law signed in 2022 by former Gov. John Carney, requiring direct supervision for most hunters under age 21.
Former Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf sponsored House Bill 451 in answer to school shootings such as the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Fla. At the time, he said he supported supervision for gun users under age 21.
Following the General Assembly’s passage of HB 451, the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association, Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol Club, and resident Gavin Birney filed a lawsuit in Superior Court contesting the bill, and Judge Reneta L. Green-Streett ruled in their favor.
In her decision, Green-Streett cites the Delaware Constitution that enshrines the right of citizens to “keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, and for hunting and recreational use.”
She wrote that some provisions of HB 451 infringe on the rights of adults 18 to 20 under the Delaware Constitution, and therefore “violate the Delaware Constitution and are unenforceable.”
The fall hunting season began Sept. 1, for deer hunters using a bow or a crossbow. Only hunters under age 16 using those weapons must be supervised under the new regulations.
Muzzleloader hunting season runs Oct. 10-19 and again Jan. 26-Feb. 1. Shotgun and other firearm hunting is Nov. 14-23 and Jan. 17-25.
Duck season will be open Nov. 1-9, followed by Nov. 26-30 and Dec. 17-Jan. 31.
Melissa Steele is a staff writer covering the state Legislature, government and police. Her newspaper career spans more than 30 years and includes working for the Delaware State News, Burlington County Times, The News Journal, Dover Post and Milford Beacon before coming to the Cape Gazette in 2012. Her work has received numerous awards, most notably a Pulitzer Prize-adjudicated investigative piece, and a runner-up for the MDDC James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award.
