Delaware Sportsmen's Caucus

Delaware Sportsmen's Caucus The Delaware Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus is a bicameral/bipartisan group of legislators who wish to promote the outdoorsman heritage of the first state

NEWS: 2026-27 Delaware Hunting Season to Open September 1 for Deer, Canada Goose and DoveThe Department of Natural Resou...
08/27/2026

NEWS: 2026-27 Delaware Hunting Season to Open September 1 for Deer, Canada Goose and Dove

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that several Delaware hunting seasons will open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, marking the start of the overall 2026-27 hunting season. These early seasons are a longstanding tradition for the state’s hunters, who, through such early opportunities afield, play a vital role in conserving Delaware’s wildlife resources.

Delaware deer hunters will open the season on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with the archery and crossbow seasons. Gamebird hunters can go afield the same day for the start of resident Canada goose and mourning dove seasons. Opening later in the month are the special September seasons for teal and gray squirrels. For a complete list of season dates and regulations for all species throughout the rest of the season, refer to the annual Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide.

Recent legislative and regulatory changes present new opportunities for the 2026-27 hunting season, including:

Sunday hunting to be open for all game species
Expanded muzzleloader specifications
Expanded straight-walled pistol-caliber rifles
Eliminating the minimum age requirement for the special Delaware youth hunts by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, and
Legislation that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to hunt and conduct target practice without direct supervision, as long as they have permission from a parent or guardian and have completed basic hunter education.
Also, for the second year, expanded hunting opportunities are available during the resident Canada goose season except at locations where and when the special September teal season is open. Hunters should check the 2026 Hunting & Trapping Guide for additional information on the changes for waterfowl hunting.

Hunters who plan to go afield during the early seasons for resident Canada geese, teal, and mourning doves are reminded that these migratory bird seasons have not yet been finalized – they should check the Federal Register from Aug. 26 for news regarding the finalizing of federal regulations and expect to find final season selections for Delaware in the register by Aug. 31.

Because migratory bird hunting is ultimately regulated under the authority of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, final approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is required before season frameworks selected by Delaware and other states become official. USFWS’s process for approving states’ season frameworks is undergoing substantive changes, which is why approvals have taken longer than normal to be finalized. Meanwhile, the states and USFWS continue to work together to develop a more efficient process that can be completed sooner.

With the recent detection of Chronic Wasting Disease, an addendum to the hunting and trapping guide is now available online and will be in hard copy at licensing agents throughout the state. Hunters are advised to review the addendum regarding new requirements and opportunities for having their deer tested. More information, including the addendum, can also be found on the de.gov/cwd webpage.

More information about hunting on state wildlife areas can be found in the 2026 Hunting & Trapping Guide and in updated Delaware wildlife area maps, which are expected to be online by Sept. 1. Information on hunting licenses, the state waterfowl stamp, and the Conservation Access Pass can be found on the de.gov/huntinglicense webpage.

NEWS: The Point at Cape Henlopen Oceanside Beach Reopens Sept. 1 to Anglers and BeachgoersAUGUST 26, 2026 -- The Delawar...
08/26/2026

NEWS: The Point at Cape Henlopen Oceanside Beach Reopens Sept. 1 to Anglers and Beachgoers

AUGUST 26, 2026 -- The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will reopen a stretch of oceanside beach at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The Point’s bayside beach will remain closed until Thursday, Oct.1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

The Point has closed annually since 1993 every March for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesting and migratory shorebirds, including piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns, red knots and other species before it reopens in the late summer-early fall for beachgoers and anglers.

The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to increase beach-nester and migratory shorebird populations. Closing The Point to park visitors provides an area of undisturbed beach and intertidal habitat for a host of shorebirds, gulls, terns and other waterbirds to rest and feed after the breeding season, one of only three in the state.

This year, the divisions teamed up to create two new nesting plots, or exclosures, to improve the chances of survival for least terns, a state-endangered species, which have historically nested at The Point. The plots include six-foot fencing around the exclosure with a two-foot skirt under the area to protect nesting birds against predators. The strategy also included least tern decoys and a battery-powered music box that broadcasts the birds’ calls to encourage nesting in the area.

There were approximately 150 least tern nests counted by the Division of Fish and Wildlife at The Point, with half of those nests located inside the fencing, and 125 least tern chicks were counted. With the least tern season still active, the area is expected to produce about 60 fledglings.

The Point also attracted 10 pairs of piping plover, a federally-endangered species, that fledged 12 chicks.

Reservations will open for the Point Crossing drive-on surf fishing beach oceanside on Tuesday, Aug. 25 for the weekend of Aug 29-30 and on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for the weekend of Sept. 5-6 and Thursday, Sept. 3, for Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Cape Henlopen State Park is offering a free, guided 1.7-mile-hike to The Point on Oct. 1 to explore the beauty of this special area and its ecological importance. It is open to ages 7 and up with an adult and is free with a paid park entrance. Pre-registration is required by calling (302) 645-6852.

For more information on the least tern project, visit the DNREC News webpage. For activities year-round at Cape Henlopen State Park, see the destateparks.com/park/cape-henlopen webpage.

NEWS: New Law Allows Some Youth Hunters to Hunt, Target Shoot IndependentlyEarlier this week, the governor signed legisl...
08/21/2026

NEWS: New Law Allows Some Youth Hunters to Hunt, Target Shoot Independently

Earlier this week, the governor signed legislation to allow some young Delawareans to hunt and target shoot independently.

Sponsored by State Rep. Jeff Spiegelman (R-Townsend, Smyrna, Clayton), House Substitute 1 for House Bill 427 (as amended), allows 16 and 17 year-olds to target shoot or hunt without the direct supervision of an adult over the age of 21.

Under the measure, qualifying youths must have the permission of a parent or guardian, complete a hunter education course and, if pursuing game, have a valid hunting license.

Additional sponsors on the bill included State Rep. Bill Carson (D-Smyrna) and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown). All three legislators are co-chairs of the General Assembly's Delaware Sportsmen's Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that study hunting an fishing issues and advocate for sportsmen.

"Recruiting young hunters is paramount to maintaining Delaware's sporting heritage," Rep. Spiegelman said. "This law represents a key tool to do exactly that. Thank you to all the stakeholders, especially our non-profit partners, for helping to preserve the future of hunting in the First State."

NEWS: Wildlife Officials Adopt Emergency Hunting Regulations in Attempt to Limit Spread of Chronic Wasting DiseaseAUGUST...
08/17/2026

NEWS: Wildlife Officials Adopt Emergency Hunting Regulations in Attempt to Limit Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease

AUGUST 17, 2026 -- With the start of deer hunting season less than a month away, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has adopted emergency regulations to try to limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

The fatal illness was first confirmed in Delaware earlier this year in a deer harvested in lower, central Sussex County. CWD has been reported in animals in 37 states. Internationally, it has been reported in deer, elk, reindeer, and moose in Canada, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Caused by a misfolded protein called a prion, there is a great deal about the illness that remains unknown.

Last month, DNREC worked with federal officials and local landowners to conduct a cluster sampling of 100 deer adjacent to the area where CWD was first detected. That effort did not reveal any additional presence of the disease.

The new emergency regulations – which relate to the area where CWD was found – are designed to reduce activities that bring deer together, limit the movement of potentially infected animals and infectious material, and increase CWD testing during the upcoming season. State and federal wildlife disease experts will continue CWD surveillance.

The new regulations, implemented as of today (August 17), do the following:

-- Establish a CWD Management Zone (CMZ) that encompasses ----- Wildlife Management Zones 14 and 16, including DNREC’s Midlands Wildlife Area and Trap Pond State Park, in lower Sussex County. Use this link to access a map of the zones:https://www.eregulations.com/assets/docs/resources/DE/Wildlife_Management_Zones.pdf
-- Prohibit the use of bait and feed for attracting deer within the CMZ;
-- Require hunters to check-in deer harvested within the CMZ during the November general firearm “shotgun” deer season (November 13-22) at two designated stations:
------ 1. The Jones Crossroads Landfill near Georgetown.
------ 2. The Gumboro Service Center, near where the Whitetail Open takes place.

-- Define requirements for hunters moving harvested deer out of the CMZ elsewhere within the state.
-- Prohibit the rehabilitation and relocation of “rescued” deer fawns originating within the Sussex County CMZ, and
-- Place a statewide ban on the use of natural urine-based “buck lures” to hunt deer. (The prions that cause the disease are shed in bodily fluids and can be transmitted from direct contact or by deer browsing vegetation in CWD-tainted soil.)

Hunters interested in having their deer tested during the hunting season will be able to do so at self-serve drop-off locations located throughout the state. More details for this service, to be provided at no cost to hunters, will be available on the DNREC website prior to the start of the season.

Before the season begins, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will distribute an addendum to the 2026 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide with expanded information about CWD. This pamphlet will be available when hunters pick up their guide in hard copy and also will be found on the CWD webpage at: de.gov/cwd

NEWS: DNREC Closes Seaford Fishing Pier Based on Unsafe Structural FindingsAUGUST 13, 2026 -- The Department of Natural ...
08/13/2026

NEWS: DNREC Closes Seaford Fishing Pier Based on Unsafe Structural Findings

AUGUST 13, 2026 -- The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has closed the Seaford Fishing Pier located within the Seaford boat ramp fishing access area on the Nanticoke River after structural flaws were detected during an engineering assessment of the pier this week by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The assessment of the pier, which predates DNREC’s construction upgrades to the Seaford boat ramp in 1997, raised several structural concerns, including support pile deterioration and a sinkhole forming from a faltering bulkhead. Based on those structural findings, DNREC closed the pier as unsafe for anglers and public access.

DNREC Fisheries Section Administrator Jordan Zimmerman said the pier’s closure was decided out of an abundance of caution, and that the Division of Fish and Wildlife is “working with the engineering firm to develop options either for remediation of the pier or replacing it with a new pier.”

The Seaford boat ramp and parking lot, managed by DNREC in partnership with the City of Seaford, are not impacted by the closure of the pier and will remain open.

Anglers who fish from the pier are encouraged to utilize the smaller public fishing pier at River View Park, which is directly adjacent to the Seaford boat ramp. Signage has been placed at the fishing pier to help direct the public to the alternative angling site.

-- January 21, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.-- March 18, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.-- April 22, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.-- M...
08/04/2026

-- January 21, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
-- March 18, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
-- April 22, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
-- May 13, 2027 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

All meetings will be in the 2nd Floor House Hearing Room of Legislative Hall in Dover.

NEWS: 2026/27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide Now AvailableJUNE 29, 2026 -- New Rules Include Sunday Hunting for all G...
06/29/2026

NEWS: 2026/27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide Now Available

JUNE 29, 2026 -- New Rules Include Sunday Hunting for all Game Species and Updates About Chronic Wasting Disease in the State

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has released the 2026/27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide, which is now available at participating license agents statewide, at the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s licensing desk in Dover, and on the de.gov/hunting webpage.

Key changes this year include expanded Sunday hunting for all game species and an update on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which was recently detected in Delaware.

The guide lists dates for the 2026/27 hunting and trapping seasons, as well as a summary of Delaware laws and regulations governing the legal harvest of game animals and game birds. Hunting and trapping regulation changes for the upcoming season include:

-- Expanded caliber options for straight-walled pistol-caliber rifles and specifications for muzzleloaders used for deer hunting.
-- Expanded Sunday hunting opportunities for all game species.
-- Removal of minimum age requirements for youth hunts.
-- Authorization of motorized electric carts, wagons, and wheelbarrows on wildlife areas.
-- Extension of the spring wild turkey season to include the final Sunday.
-- Establishment of a year-round coyote season.

Details on these and other changes can be found throughout the guide. While the CWD section of this guide has been updated, additional information will be available in an addendum later this summer at all locations where hunting guides are distributed, and in the online guide.

Information can also be found in the guide about the Conservation Access Pass, which is required for all registered motor vehicles accessing Delaware’s State Wildlife Areas for any allowable activity, including hunting,

To find a participating agent, visit the de.gov/licenseagents webpage. To purchase a license online, visit the Digital DNREC webpage. For more information about Delaware hunting and trapping licenses, visit the de.gov/licensing webpage.

NEWS: New Law Expands Hunting Opportunities in Delaware-- The Statute Also Broadens Ammunition Allowed for Deer Hunting ...
06/17/2026

NEWS: New Law Expands Hunting Opportunities in Delaware

-- The Statute Also Broadens Ammunition Allowed for Deer Hunting --

June 17, 2026 -- A bill recently signed into law by Gov. Matt Meyer expands hunting in the First State by removing restrictions that had limited the activity on Sundays.

The new law, which takes effect immediately, permits sportsmen and women to pursue all game animals and game birds during designated hunting seasons. However, private landowners and public agencies retain discretion over whether to allow Sunday hunting on properties under their control.

The proposal was championed by the Delaware Sportsmen’s Caucus (DSC), an informal, bipartisan group of lawmakers focused on hunting and fishing issues. The DSC’s four co-chairs jointly sponsored the bill: State Reps. Jeff Spiegelman & Bill Carson, and State Sens. Brian Pettyjohn & Nicole Poore. The measure received broad, bipartisan support, winning approval in the Senate 19-0 and in the House 38-1.

“For most Delawareans, hunting is a weekend activity,” Rep. Spiegelman said. “Speaking on behalf of the Sportsmen’s Caucus, we all felt that removing the antiquated ban would give more working Delawareans greater access to recreational opportunities and more opportunities to enjoy these experiences with their children.”

Delaware and other states in the Northeast were among the last to allow Sunday hunting. The region has historically observed so-called “blue laws” that restrict certain practices on Sundays. While other blue laws, such as bans on retail sales and alcohol consumption, were repealed decades ago, Sunday hunting prohibitions stubbornly persisted well into the 21st Century in many states.

Throughout most of the 1900s, Delaware prohibited Sunday hunting. That changed in 2016 when a law was enacted allowing deer hunting on five specific Sundays in limited circumstances. The restrictions were further loosened in 2024, when Sunday hunting was expanded to include game-bird species (i.e., turkey, waterfowl, doves, and upland birds).

At present, 48 states allow some form of Sunday hunting. In 39 states, there are no restrictions, while the remaining states (including Delaware) authorize the practice with some limitations. Maine and Massachusetts continue to enforce a complete year-round ban.

House Bill 278 also amends and simplifies the law governing the use of certain types of ammunition for deer hunting. Delaware allows the use of rifles for taking deer, but only those chambered for straight-wall handgun ammunition. These rounds are more accurate than shotgun slugs and more efficient for harvesting deer quickly but lose energy rapidly—a safety advantage in a flat, populated state like Delaware.”

“We heard from a lot of hunters who wanted to use rounds like the .400 Legend,” Rep. Spiegelman said. “This law expands the allowable caliber size to include this and other popular deer hunting rounds.”

Lastly, the new law fixes an inadvertent glitch in state law that had barred sportsmen from Sunday hunting during the January deer handgun season.

Photo Courtesy of Greenwood Photography.
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NEWS: Delaware Revises Recreational Regs for Bluefish to Give Anglers Higher Daily Possession LimitMAY 20, 2026 -- The D...
05/20/2026

NEWS: Delaware Revises Recreational Regs for Bluefish to Give Anglers Higher Daily Possession Limit

MAY 20, 2026 -- The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has revised Delaware’s fishing regulations for bluefish to benefit recreational anglers, with the daily possession limit for 2026 and 2027 increased from three to five bluefish for anglers fishing from private vessels and from shore, with the limit for anglers aboard for-hire vessels raised from five to seven bluefish a day. The regulatory change from DNREC – now in effect – also ensures the state’s compliance with regional fisheries management plans.

The action taken by Delaware on bluefish adopts management measures approved by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Bluefish Management Board in 2025. Both entities reviewed the 2025 management track assessment for the species, which found that bluefish overfishing was not occurring. They also recognized that while the stock was not overfished, it was not yet fully rebuilt to the biomass target the fisheries management bodies had set.

Spawning stock biomass was estimated to be about 89% of the biomass target in 2024, with stock projections that it will have reached rebuilt status in 2025, though awaiting confirmation in the 2027 stock assessment.

Based on the positive trajectory for the stock, the MAFMC and ASMFC adopted a recreational harvest limit (RHL) for bluefish of 22.02 million pounds for 2026, and of 22.50 million pounds RHL for 2027. Compared to 2025, these values represent an increase of approximately 40% for the RHL – resulting in Delaware raising the daily possession limit for bluefish in 2026 and 2027.

For more information on this and other fishing regulations, see the online 2026 Delaware Fishing Guide: https://www.eregulations.com/delaware/fishing

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