Dec. 4, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 468

For more information, contact Ken Reynolds, Wildlife Program Manager, 302-735-3600, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Deadline approaching for pre-season turkey hunt lottery applications  

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters that lottery applications for six-day turkey hunts on state wildlife areas next spring are due in the Division’s Dover office no later than Friday, Dec. 18. Applications will be drawn at random to allow hunters to participate in one of three six-day hunts on state lands during turkey season in April 2010.

For the first time, a limited number of permits will be available for the C&D Canal Wildlife Area, bringing the total number of wildlife areas open during Delaware’s spring gobbler hunt to 20. To be considered for the lottery, hunters must have completed the Delaware Turkey Hunter Education Class and must hold a valid Delaware hunting license unless exempt from state licensing requirements.  

“We have been offering this spring hunting opportunity for several years, and it has been very successful,” said Ken Reynolds, a Wildlife program manager with the Division. “Last year, 31 birds were harvested on public land - a new record that also accounted for 10 percent of the state’s total turkey harvest.”

An application form for the hunts can be found on page 46 of the 2009 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, or hunters can print the form online at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Hunting/Pages/Wildlife.aspx. Applications should be mailed in time for the Dec. 18 deadline to Wildlife Section, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.