Delaware’s November general firearms deer hunting season opens Friday, Nov. 13, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 22, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed in a news release. I checked the announcement on the state’s official news site, which notes this 10-day window is the most popular and productive deer hunting period in Delaware.
The statewide deer season runs from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31, but the November firearms season typically accounts for about 40% of the total deer harvest, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Hunters who want to participate must hold a valid Delaware hunting license and a deer tag, and they need to follow rules on legal firearms, ammunition and shooting hours that the DNREC release spells out.
What this means for homeowners
If you live in Delaware and deer visit your yard or garden, the next 10 days will bring increased hunting activity on both public and private land where hunting is allowed. Deer often change their movement patterns during hunting season, seeking cover in thick brush or residential areas where hunting is not permitted. That can mean more deer sightings in suburban neighborhoods, especially around dawn and dusk.
Landowners who have problems with deer eating landscaping or carrying ticks into the yard may see fewer deer after the season, but the immediate effect is that deer may move more unpredictably. If you encounter a deer that appears sick or unafraid of people, that is unusual and you should report it to the state wildlife agency , healthy wild deer almost always flee from humans. While deer are not a rabies reservoir species, any wild mammal that acts abnormally should be treated with caution, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.
If you have a snake problem in a shed or outbuilding, you might want to take steps to remove a snake from your garden shed before deer hunting begins, since the disturbance could drive snakes to seek shelter. For homeowners dealing with raccoons in the kitchen, an emergency kitchen raccoon removal plan can help you respond quickly without risking a bite or scratch that could expose you to rabies.
The notice is published by Delaware DNREC via news.delaware.gov at news.delaware.gov.
