Delaware Bird Hunting

Seasons Span November 24 – February 7, 2027

State Drought Monitor – Upland hunting conditions are often highly dependent upon moisture for both habitat production and bird survival.

Delaware Upland Game Bird Hunting Overview

Official License Fees (Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife)

  • Resident:
    • Annual Hunting License (Ages 16–64): $39.50
    • Junior Hunting License (Ages 13–15): $5.00
    • Senior Hunting License (Ages 65+): License Exempt (LEN registration required)
    • Delaware State Parks Hunting Permit: $10.00
    • Conservation Access Pass: Free with hunting license purchase
  • Non-Resident:
    • Annual Hunting License (Age 16+): $199.50
    • 3-Day Small Game Hunting License: $75.00
    • Junior Hunting License (Ages 13–15): $50.00
    • Delaware State Parks Hunting Permit: $10.00

Season Dates, Daily Bag Limits & Possession Limits

Ring-Necked Pheasant (Male Only)

  • Statewide (Public Wildlife Areas & Private Lands):
    • Season Dates: November 24 – February 7
    • Limits: 2 daily (male only) / 4 in possession
    • Note: Unlimited harvest and either sex permitted on licensed commercial game preserves.

Bobwhite Quail

  • Statewide:
    • Season Dates: November 24 – January 3
    • Limits: 6 daily / 12 in possession

American Woodcock

  • Statewide:
    • Season Dates: Split Season (Late November; Late December – Late January)
    • Limits: 3 daily / 9 in possession (Harvest Information Program – HIP certification required)

Wilson’s Snipe

  • Statewide:
    • Season Dates: Split Season (Late September – Late November; Late December – Late January)
    • Limits: 8 daily / 16 in possession (HIP certification required)

Mourning Dove

  • Statewide:
    • Season Dates: September 1 – Late September; Late November; Mid-December – Mid-January
    • Limits: 15 daily / 45 in possession

Rails & Gallinules (Sora, Virginia, Clapper, King, Gallinule)

  • Statewide:
    • Season Dates: September 1 – Early November
    • Limits: 25 daily in aggregate (Sora & Virginia); 15 daily (Clapper & King); 15 daily (Gallinules)

Weather Assessment & Bird Hunting Outlook

Official field observations from the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife show that the Delmarva Peninsula experienced a generally mild winter, followed by moderate, well-distributed rainfall throughout the late spring and early summer nesting period. The lack of severe, prolonged cold snaps aided overwinter survival for resident wild game birds. However, spring downpours created localized flash flooding in low-lying coastal plain drainages, presenting thermal challenges for young wild bobwhite quail broods in areas lacking robust early-successional canopy cover. Consequently, wild quail recruitment remains concentrated primarily on managed state wildlife areas (such as Cedar Swamp and Norman G. Wilder WMAs) where native warm-season grasses and field borders are actively maintained. The state’s public-land pheasant release program ensures consistent upland opportunity throughout Kent and Sussex counties, while woodcock and snipe hunters will find favorable conditions across moist agricultural margins, alder runs, and tidal marsh edges following early fall rains.