Delaware Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Season Lottery Awards Record Number of Permits for Hunting State Wildlife Areas

Leighton Cox practices calling wild turkeys before the 2024 spring season. /Submitted photo: Mike Cox

All Turkey Hunters – Residents and Non-Residents Out to Bag Their First
State Gobbler This Year – Are Reminded of DNREC’s New Registration Process

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today 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, with 544 permits – another record high number – available to hunters for the upcoming season.

The DNREC Wildlife Section ran the annual State Wildlife Area Spring Turkey Season hunting permit lottery, drawing from 834 valid applications submitted. Turkey hunting 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.

Of the record number of applications, 744 were submitted by Delaware residents. The 90 non-residents who applied represented 20 states – testimony to the First State’s growing reputation as a hunting destination for taking a wild turkey. Of the permits awarded via the lottery, 488 permits (89.7%) went to resident hunters, with 56 permits (10.3%) going to non-resident hunters representing 15 states.

For this season’s lottery, Blackiston Wildlife Area near Clayton was the most popular turkey hunting venue selected by permit applicants, followed by Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area near Petersburg in Kent County; Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area near Townsend; and the Tappahanna Wildlife Area near Hartly. 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.

Also new in conjunction with the 2025 lottery, applicants may now view the results of the lottery online to learn if they were selected – by going to de.gov/turkeyhunting and checking their hunting license number against the lottery results. All awarded applicants also will be issued a permit letter by mail by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife over the next several weeks.

All Delaware turkey hunters are also reminded that DNREC has implemented new turkey harvest reporting procedures for 2025. 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 (LEN). 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.

For more information about hunting on State Wildlife Areas, wild turkey hunting in Delaware or the annual turkey hunting permit lottery, visit de.gov/hunting.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; 

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