Delaware’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is now accepting applications for its low-number hunting license lottery. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 5 in the auditorium at DNREC’s main office in Dover, 25 Delaware hunting licenses with numbers less than 1,000 will be drawn via lottery.

Licenses will be awarded to applicants whose names are drawn starting with the lowest and ending with the highest number via a live drawing. The lottery is open to the public, but applicants need not be present. Winners will be notified by mail.

Additional details are presented below.

• The license will be assigned permanently to the successful applicant.
• An applicant must be at least 15 years of age, and not older than 64 years of age on July 1, 2012.
• The license holder will be notified annually by mail for renewal.
• The license is not transferable by the selected applicant to any individual.
• Individuals who currently hold a low-numbered license are not eligible.
• To be considered, an applicant must submit one and only one postcard, either by mail or hand-deliver it to the Richardson & Robbins building in Dover.

Postcards must be addressed to:

Candace Dunning
Low-Number Hunting License Lottery
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901

Include the following information on the reverse side of the postcard:

• applicant’s name
• street address
• city
• state
• ZIP code
• daytime phone number

Applications will not be included in the drawing if there is more than one postcard per applicant, or if postcards are received without the information above.

Applications must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 22 or hand-delivered to the Richardson & Robbins Building by 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 25. No applications will be accepted after that date under any circumstances.

For more information, please call Candace Dunning at 302-739-9918.

My article that ran in The News Journal on Feb. 2, 2012.

I don’t think I’ve ever really complained about any aspect of hunting.

I have expressed opinions about discourteous hunters, questionable hunting laws and overzealous anti-hunters, but opinions aren’t necessarily complaints.

In all my years of hunting I haven’t complained about season lengths, missed opportunities or my personal harvest totals. In fact, I haven’t even complained about the weather.

Until now.

Did I step into a haunted teleportation device some time around Halloween and get transported to some parallel world where Delaware winter doesn’t exist? Was it really almost sixty degrees in the last week of January? Has Mother Nature finally bought into global warming and retired to Florida?

Before my non-hunting readers question my sanity for complaining about a Delaware winter with hardly any snow or extended cold spells, let me explain: Weather affects hunting.

Ask just about any Delaware duck or goose hunter how they fared this waterfowl season, and you’re bound to receive one of two answers: one, it stunk, or two, it really stunk. Many of us sat for hours in boats, duck blinds and goose pits day after day for the past three months with little more to show for our efforts than windburn, a few completed crossword puzzles, and lessons in humility.

I was lucky enough to harvest a few ducks early in the season, but I continue to receive horror stories from hunters who harvested no ducks at all. What’s worse, I’ve heard from Canada goose hunters who never saw a goose in close proximity to their hunting setups.

I don’t believe there’s a problem with the overall waterfowl populations. Instead, I, like many local hunters, believe that this season’s uncharacteristically mild weather from New England through the Mid Atlantic just hasn’t forced ducks, geese, and other migratory game birds to adhere to their usual migration patterns. If conditions are favorable for birds to find food and resting areas in the northern portions of their migration paths, they may be less apt to fly further south at their usual pace.

Migratory bird hunting wasn’t the only thing thrown out of whack by this season’s phantom winter.

Deer hunting has also been strange. Late season, (usually) cold-weather deer hunters typically count on deer herding together and often focus their hunting efforts near winter food sources. This tactic usually pays off, but this year’s winter food sources are similar to those from the early fall. Granted there is less foliage, but the lack of snow cover makes nuts and other food sources easily accessible (including green grass and tree buds, which have been strangely present at various times this winter). Like the migratory birds, deer seem to have deviated from their normal winter patterns as a result of our disordered winter, and have presented new challenges to hunters.

My complaining may be misguided since it addresses the weather’s adverse effects on hunter success rates. The game animals probably love this vacation from Delaware winter, and their survival rates will only lead to higher population numbers.

On second thought, I withdraw my complaint.

It’s good for the game animals to beat the hunters every now and then.

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting available at White Clay Creek, Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond, Trap Pond, and Delaware Seashore State Parks

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting (Second Edition) is now available for purchase at select Delaware state park stores. Hunters, tourists, and park visitors can purchase the 217-page paperback at White Clay Creek, Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond, and Trap Pond State Parks and at the Indian River Life-Saving Station.

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting (Second Edition) provides an in-depth look at hunting in Delaware and the surrounding region. Author and Delaware native Steven M. Kendus uses his hunting wisdom, experience, and research to preserve Delaware’s hunting legacy by sharing history, tactics, locations, tips, and tricks associated with Delaware hunting. Hunting The First State discusses common game species such as white-tailed deer, Canada geese, and ducks, but it also offers insight into Delaware coyotes, wild turkeys, red foxes, woodcocks, quail, snow geese, crows, rabbits, and more.

“Delaware’s state parks offer a wealth of recreational opportunities – including hunting and fishing,” said Author Steven M. Kendus. “I utilize the state parks year round, so I witness firsthand the number of visitors the parks receive.”

“Many of our state park locations have wonderful stores where tourists, hunters, and other park visitors can purchase Delaware-related merchandise, and I can’t think of a better place for Hunting The First State to be available,” Kendus continued.

Hunting The First State includes techniques, locations, tactics, and folklore from Kendus and some of Delaware’s most successful hunters and includes more than thirty-five photos of wildlife harvested in Delaware and the surrounding areas.

About Steven M. Kendus

Steven M. Kendus is a lifelong Delaware resident and avid outdoorsman dedicated to preserving hunting opportunities, lands, and traditions. He is a professional author, columnist, technical writer, and marketer, and has had various books and articles published. He is an active member of multiple hunting, shooting, and conservation organizations, including the National Rifle Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Brandywine Hundred Rod and Gun Club, and Delaware State Sportmen’s Association.

Mr. Kendus is frequently consulted as an authority on Delaware hunting. He has been a speaker at hunting-related community events, a guest on Sirius XM Patriot’s Cam & Company, and a guest host for Versus, where he interviewed hunting legends Tred Barta and David Morris.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in English – Business and Technical Writing from the University of Delaware. He is a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication and a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.