SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Delaware's November general firearms deer hunting season begins Friday, Nov. 13, with new mandatory testing requirements in parts of Sussex County following the state's first detection of chronic wasting disease.
The 10-day season runs until Sunday, Nov. 22 and is traditionally Delaware's most popular deer hunting period. DNREC said approximately 40 percent of the state's annual deer harvest occurs during this season. Delaware's overall deer hunting season runs from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31.
Following the first detection of chronic wasting disease in Delaware, DNREC established a Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone for the 2026-27 hunting season, including Wildlife Management Zones 11, 14 and 16. Chronic wasting disease is a neurological disease affecting deer and other members of the deer family.
Hunters who harvest deer in these zones during the November general firearms season must bring their deer to one of three designated check stations in Sussex County for mandatory CWD sampling. The locations are Jones Crossroad Landfill, the Gumboro Community Center, which replaces a previously announced check station in Gumboro, and Redden State Forest's Jester Tract.
All three check stations are open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the Nov. 13 to Nov. 22 firearms season. DNREC said this is the only period when hunters are required to bring harvested deer to state biologists for CWD sampling.
“Since the deer harvest rate is high during the general firearm season, it gives us an opportunity to efficiently collect a lot of CWD samples within a relatively short period of time,” said Joe Rogerson, DNREC Wildlife Section Administrator. “After the hunting season, we will be using the information from all of our sampling efforts to assess CWD distribution and prevalence in the state, while also soliciting feedback from hunters, landowners and the public to help guide our CWD management efforts for the 2027-28 hunting season and beyond.”
DNREC said hunters visiting mandatory CWD check stations should have their deer registration information readily available, which can be done through a newly implemented QR code. The QR code allows DNREC staff to quickly access registration information, speed up the sampling process and reduce waiting times.
Hunters may present their registration electronically or provide a printed copy. Hunters who harvest deer outside the designated management zone can voluntarily submit samples for CWD testing but are not required.
