2025 turkey hunting season draws record applicants, permits

It’s huntin’ season in Delaware. 

And many – a record number – of First Staters want to partake.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced Monday that the 2025 lottery for State Wildlife Area Spring Turkey Season hunting permits held last month had drawn the largest applicant pool since the state’s first wild turkey lottery was held in 1991.

There were 544 permits awarded – another record high number – to hunters for the upcoming season.

DNREC’s Wildlife Section drew from 834 valid applications submitted. 

Why the record number?

Jeff Hague, president of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, said he’s excited about seeing the numbers increase.

“I suspect the record number is due to the endless opportunities, and the fact that we have a really good turkey population since it was reintroduced back in the early ‘80s,” he said. “The seasons have really produced a lot of quality birds.”

He gave gratitude to the efforts of the National Wild Turkey Federation to increase knowledge about what’s available in Delaware and for increasing hunting opportunities. He said the spike in permits is the result of the federation’s work as well as that of DNREC and the Delaware Department Agriculture.

“Turkey hunting in Delaware continues to grow in popularity keeping pace with the abundance of birds we now have throughout the state – as the wild turkey population continues to grow in all three counties,” said Pat Emory, director of the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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The return of the wild turkey in Delaware is a great conservation success story for the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, Emory said. 

“It’s noteworthy that turkey season is Delaware’s only hunting season that occurs in the spring – and the fact that there are a lot of hunting opportunities for wild turkeys on the 68,000 acres managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife for hunters to try their luck bagging a gobbler,” she said.

Add to that this year, through the DNREC lottery drawing, turkey hunting will be available for the first time on both Delaware’s National Wildlife Refuges, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook – with 40 additional permits (20 for each refuge) drawn by hunters, she pointed out.

More turkey hunting permit numbers

The permits were available for all of the state’s 19 state wildlife areas and for Delaware’s two National Wildlife Refuges, Bombay Hook and Prime Hook. 

Permits issued for these areas cover one of four week-long season segments, with the 2025 turkey hunting season beginning on April 12 and ending on May 10.

The majority – 744 – of applications were submitted by Delaware residents, and the 90 non-residents who applied represented 20 states, which DNREC states is a testimony to the First State’s growing reputation as a hunting destination.

Of the permits awarded via the lottery, 488 (89.7%) went to resident hunters, with 56 (10.3%) going to non-resident hunters representing 15 states.

Blackiston Wildlife Area near Clayton was the most popular turkey hunting venue selected by permit applicants this year.

Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area near Petersburg in Kent County, Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area near Townsend, and the Tappahanna Wildlife Area near Hartly round out the top four destinations.

This year’s lottery also marked the first time that the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife offered permits for Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

All 40 of the available permits for those locations were issued.

This is the first year applicants were able to view the results of the lottery online to learn if they were selected, which can be done here.

All awarded applicants will also be issued a permit letter by mail by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife over the next several weeks.

Requirements for turkey hunters

Hunters must complete their turkey harvest report card prior to moving their bird from where it was harvested. 

All first-time turkey hunters in Delaware ages 13 or older are required to successfully complete a DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife-approved turkey education course. 

Hunters who have completed the course receive a Turkey Harvest Report Card when they purchase their license or obtain their License Exempt Number.

Any hunter who completed this course but failed to receive a Turkey Harvest Report Card should contact the Hunter Education Program at 302-735-3601 ext. 1. 

Hunters who have successfully harvested a turkey this year must register it within 24 hours via the Digital DNREC portal or by calling 1-855-DEL-HUNT (1-855-335-4868). 

Registration requires successful hunters to report beard and spur length for their bird and to voluntarily provide the turkey’s weight if available.