How to Hunt Deer in Delaware
- 1). Register at Delaware State Parks Hunting Registration. Registration costs $10. You'll have to register before you can purchase a Delaware hunting license. An adult resident license is $25 and an adult nonresident is $130. Keep both documents on you while hunting (your license must be displayed on an outer garment). Check out the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife's website for a complete break down of license types and costs.
- 2). Get acquainted with the land you'll be hunting. Identify food sources and game trails. Clearings with abundant vegetation are ideal, as are areas with plenty of acorns. These are the places where deer will be moving and distracted as they search for food. Set up your stand near them. You can set up a blind, tree stand or simply manicure an area around a comfortable spot to sit so that you have an unobstructed view of your surroundings.
- 3). Practice shooting with a shotgun, muzzleloader or bow and arrow. The only legal firearms you can use to hunt deer in Delaware are muzzleloaders and shotguns (gauges 10-20). If you usually hunt with a rifle, the change may take some getting used to, as shotguns effectively eliminate the possibility of successful long shots. By law, shotguns can hold no more than three shells at a time. Load your gun with heavy buckshot (you may use larger shot than No. 2 shot only for deer in Delaware) or slugs.
- 4). Organize "hunting drives" with other hunters. Stalking or driving deer into other hunters in your hunting party may increase your chances of getting closer to deer and allow for closer shots. Deer will be moving, which also lends itself to a shotgun's ability to point and shoot rather then aiming. Check out "How to Hunt Deer in Pennsylvania" for a more detailed description of drive hunting in the area.
- 5). Register your deer with the Fish and Wildlife department. You can call 1-866-511-DEER (3337) or document your harvest online at www.dehip.com. You have 24 hours from the time you kill your animal to register it. When you check your deer, have ready your license number and the deer management zone in which you harvested your deer. Use the Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide to reference the 17 deer management zones.