DNREC Announces Record Harvests Set for Delaware During 2024-’25 White-tailed Deer and Wild Turkey Seasons

Kyle Magdziuk, a wildlife biologist with DNREC conservation partner Tall Timbers, bagged his gobbler this season on public land, at Taber State Forest near Harrington managed by the Delaware Forest Service /DNREC photo

 

Two of Delaware’s most popular and productive hunting seasons – for wild turkey and white-tailed deer – have yielded state record harvests for both game species during the 2024-’25 season, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

Record harvests for both deer and turkey during the same overall hunting season is an historic first for Delaware, according to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, and also a testimonial to the numerous hunting opportunities that exist for both species throughout the state on both public and private land.

The state’s five-month-long deer season starts annually on Sept. 1 and is among the earliest of Delaware’s combined calendar years hunting seasons. Delaware’s deer hunting season often touches parts of six months and is one of the longest big-game hunting seasons in the country. The spring wild turkey season closes out hunting opportunities in the state until dates for the 2025-’26 seasons are announced when new hunting licenses go on sale July 1.

The recent spring turkey season – which ran from April 12 to May 10 – saw Delaware hunters benchmark 2025 for posterity by bagging 800 birds, eclipsing the previous high of 723 turkeys taken in 2024. The number marked a nearly 11% increase in harvest from last hunting season as Delaware hunters continued to burnish the conservation success story of a wild turkey restoration effort that led to the state’s first spring season for gobblers in 1991.

“Delaware’s turkey hunters continue to play a vital role in wildlife conservation,” said Joe Rogerson, DNREC Wildlife Section administrator. “This season’s record numbers reflect not only favorable habitat conditions but also the commitment of hunters and landowners to sustainable game management.”

Hunters out to get a gobbler in Delaware met with success statewide. Sussex County again topped the state with 369 turkeys harvested, followed closely by Kent County with 338, and New Castle County with 93 birds. Wildlife Management Zone 6, which is in western Kent County, recorded the highest harvest of DNREC’s 18 wildlife management zones, with 105 birds bagged, accounting for 13% of the statewide total turkey harvest.

Most of the birds harvested – 630 – were taken on private lands this season. Worthy of note also was the record 170 turkeys taken on public lands, demonstrating increasing access and opportunity for Delaware hunters, Rogerson said.

The state’s white-tailed deer hunting season also rewarded Delaware hunters who went afield in pursuit of the state’s only big game animal – with 18,823 deer harvested during the season that ended Feb. 2. That total eclipsed the previous record of 17,265 set during the 2020-’21 season, and marked a 29.4% increase over the 2023-’24 season when 14,451 deer were taken, and the lowest Delaware harvest in recent years.

“The historic deer harvest also highlights continued success in wildlife conservation and management efforts across the state,” Wildlife Section Administrator Rogerson said. “Indicative of both the resilience of Delaware’s deer population and the dedication of our hunters at pursuing our state’s big game animal, it also highlights the success of ongoing management strategies aimed at maintaining a healthy and balanced deer herd in Delaware.”

Also instrumental in managing the state’s herd is DNREC’s deer damage assistance program in partnership with the Delaware Department of Agriculture that helps reduce crop losses for the state’s agribusiness. Meanwhile, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has implemented hunting strategies and programs that further enhance hunter opportunities for putting Delaware venison on the table and a trophy white-tailed buck on the wall.

While Sussex County led the state in total deer harvest, with 9,628 deer harvested, Zone 7 in southwestern Kent County recorded the highest harvest of all 18 DNREC wildlife management zones, with 1,609 deer taken by hunters – evidence indicative of strong deer activity all over Delaware and widespread hunter success in the state for the 2024-’25 season. The harvest in Kent and New Castle and Kent Counties was 6,140 and 3,055 deer, respectively.

Among notable highlights from the past deer season was the harvest of a doe estimated to be approximately 14.5 years old, likely among the oldest deer ever taken in Delaware. Though the doe may not have been the oldest ever, such an occurrence among the state’s white-tailed deer herd offers valuable insight into deer longevity and herd demographics.

For more information on hunting in Delaware, visit de.gov/hunting.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov 

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