Today the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife announced new hunting regulations, including:

• a new crossbow season
• a statewide red fox season
• the use of pellet guns for squirrel hunting
• new requirements for displaying hunting licenses
• archery safety zone restrictions
• the requirement for hunters and trappers who are exempt from licensing due to age or property ownership to obtain a Hunter and Trapper Identification Number

Starting this fall, crossbows may be used by all hunters during a general crossbow season that runs from Sept. 1, 2010 through Jan. 31, 2011. During any overlap with a deer gun season, crossbow hunters must wear 400 square inches of hunter orange as do gun hunters.

A new statewide red fox hunting season runs from Nov. 1, 2010 through Feb. 28, 2011.

Hunters can us .17- through .22-caliber pellet guns for hunting squirrels in Delaware. These guns must have rifled barrels.

Hunting licenses no longer have to be displayed on a hunter’s back tag. However, they must be carried while hunting.

The safety zone for hunting with vertical bows and  crossbows has been reduced to 50 yards. Gun hunting safety zones were not changed.

Hhunters and trappers who are exempt from licensing due to age or property ownership will be required to obtain a Hunter and Trapper Identification Number. Like a license, this number must be carried by the hunter or trapper when they are in the field. To obtain this number, hunters can call 877-939-3678 toll-free or visit www.dehip.com. According to Wildlife Program Manager Rob Hossler, “The information generated by this system will allow the Division to know the total number of hunters and trappers in the State and provide a way for these sportsmen and sportswomen to be included in game harvest and hunter opinion surveys.”

For more information on hunting season changes, see http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Hunting/Pages/Wildlife.aspx and  http://regulations.delaware.gov/register/july2010/final/index.shtml#TopOfPage.

Taggart Squirrel Hunt

Taggart Squirrel Hunt 2

Greetings! Thank you for the autographed copy of “Hunting the First State”. I enjoyed it immensely. I’m an avid small game hunter and this is my first year hunting in Delaware. I’ve been having a good time patrolling the local wildlife areas for bushytails. Attached are a couple photos from this afternoon’s hunt. Head shot Gray Squirrel, using a Ruger 77/22 All-weather rifle with a Bushnell 3-9x scope. The ammo was a Remington 22LR, modified with my Paco Kelly Nasti-nose tool (basically turns lead solidpoints into a semi-wadcutter hollowpoint… hits ‘em like lightning).

Eastern Gray Squirrel taken at Augustine Wildlife Area. I was slow-hunting through the woods when I noticed one squirrel chasing another to my right. I braced for a standing shot, using the side of a small tree as a rest, when one of the squirrels stopped at the base of a tree about 25yds away and gave me a great chance. One shot to the head and it was a lights-out, clean-kill.

All the best,

Joe Taggart
New Castle, DE