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Delaware Zone Finder
Answer six questions and get Delaware wildlife management zones ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and DNREC deer harvest.
How the Delaware finder works
Delaware manages deer by 18 wildlife management zones. This tool scores every zone using DNREC's deer harvest by zone for the 2022–23 to 2025–26 seasons, USGS land-cover and elevation data, and the share of public land such as state wildlife areas, state forests and national wildlife refuges.
Season fit uses the 2026/2027 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide: archery and crossbow, muzzleloader, general firearm, special antlerless and handgun deer seasons, sika deer (legal to take during the deer seasons), spring turkey, pheasant and migratory birds.
Species covered
- White-tailed deer
- Sika deer
- Wild turkey
Upland birds (ranked by county)
- Ring-necked pheasant
Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)
- Ducks
- Canada and dark geese
- Snow and Ross's geese
- Mourning dove
- Tundra swan
- American woodcock
About every species on the species page →
Data sources
- Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guides, Deer Harvest at a Glance (harvest by management zone, 2022–23 to 2025–26)
- https://www.eregulations.com/assets/docs/guides/26DEHD_LR2.pdf
- https://enterprise.firstmap.delaware.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Society/DE_Wildlife/FeatureServer/6
- USGS PAD-US 3.0 (Fee); NPS parks and monuments excluded
- USGS NLCD 2021 Land Cover (250 m resample)
- USGS 3DEP elevation service
Delaware hunting FAQ
When is Delaware's 2026 deer firearm season?
The November general firearm season runs Nov. 13–22, 2026, with a January season Jan. 16–24, 2027. Archery and crossbow run Sept. 1–Jan. 31, muzzleloader Oct. 9–18 and Jan. 25–31.
Which Delaware zones have the most deer?
Zones 7, 11, 8 and 6 in Kent and western Sussex counties lead DNREC's 2022–2026 deer harvest. Delaware set a record of 18,823 deer in 2024–25.
Can I hunt deer on Sundays in Delaware?
Yes. Sunday deer hunting is legal on private land with the landowner's permission and on designated public land, and Sunday hunting is now open for all game species.
Delaware harvest leaders
The wildlife management zones with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.
White-tailed deer (2022–2025 average)
- Zone 11 Zone 11: 1,409 per year
- Zone 7 Zone 7: 1,388 per year
- Zone 8 Zone 8: 1,266 per year
- Zone 6 Zone 6: 1,193 per year
- Zone 16 Zone 16: 1,098 per year
Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)
- Kent County: 20,057 per year
- Sussex County: 11,764 per year
- New Castle County: 10,188 per year
Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)
- Kent County: 12,755 per year
- Sussex County: 9,288 per year
- New Castle County: 4,503 per year