One-Day Youth and Non-Ambulatory Hunt Opens April 2, Regular Hunting Season Opens April 9
Delaware’s 2022 wild turkey hunting seasons opens Saturday, April 2 with a one-day turkey hunt for youth ages 10 through 15 and for non-ambulatory hunters. The regular turkey hunting season opens Saturday, April 9 and runs through Saturday, May 7. Hunting hours are a 30 minutes before sunrise until 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday hunting. Delaware regulations stipulate that only bearded turkeys may be harvested, and the bag limit is one bearded turkey per hunter each year.
Youth turkey hunters participating in the one-day April 2 hunt must be 10 to 15 years old and must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN). Accompanying adults may not hunt during the youth-day hunt. Regular-season turkey hunters under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or LEN.
Non-ambulatory hunters who participate in the one-day hunt on April 2 must need a wheelchair for mobility.
Checking In Harvested Birds
All harvested turkeys must be checked at authorized turkey check stations by 2:30 p.m. the day the bird was harvested. A list of turkey check stations is available at dnrec.delaware.gov and in the 2021/2022 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide.
Public Land Hunting
Turkey hunting on Delaware state wildlife areas and in Delaware state forests requires hunter to carry a public land permit that was issued via preseason lottery. Permits specify the public lands and season segment/dates that can be hunted. Hunters participating in the special turkey hunt for youth and non-ambulatory hunters on April 2 may hunt without a public land permit on those state wildlife areas and state forests open to turkey hunting during the regular turkey hunting season as indicated on pages 43 and 45 of the Hunting & Trapping Guide.
Turkey Hunter Education Requirements
All turkey hunters 13 years old and older must have completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety course, including youth ages 13 through 15 hunting on the special youth turkey hunt on April 2.
DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds hunters completing the turkey hunting course for the first time and who possessed a current hunting license or LEN prior to completing the course to reprint their license or LEN so that it will indicate successful completion of the course. Likewise, hunters who previously completed the turkey hunting course should ensure that their hunting license displays their turkey hunting course number. Hunters who have successfully completed the course no longer need to carry a course card as proof of completion if their hunting license or LEN indicates they have passed the course.