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Delaware Forest Service announces lottery system for turkey hunting permits

Delaware Forest Service
The Delaware Forest Service is issuing turkey hunting permits through a seperate lottery for the 2019 spring season.

The Delaware Forest Service is, for first time, issuing turkey hunting permits through a seperate lottery.

 

The change begins with the 2019 spring season.

Delaware Forest Service assistant forestry administrator Kyle Hoyd says until now, statewide permits were available only through DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“Our permit process that we’ve taken ownership of this year is just to give us the ability to be able to do some data collection and send out some surveys after the hunting period ends,” Hoyd said.

Hoyd says the DFS wants to know how hunters are utilizing the permitting process for turkey hunting at Redden State Forest, Blackbird State Forest, and Taber State Forest.

 

“First and foremost we really want to have our lands appeal to the users and we want them to have some ownership of them. And part of that process would be to have their input of just what they’re seeing,” said Hoyd.

Hoyd adds the agency also wants public input on how to better manage the turkey hunting properties.

The 2019 Delaware turkey hunting season runs runs for four consecutive weeks - Saturday, April 13th to Saturday, May 11th. There will also be a special youth and non-ambulatory disabled hunter day scheduled for Saturday, April 6th.

 

State forest turkey permits will be issued for one of four season segments: A (4/13-4/19), B (4/20-4/26), C (4/27-5/3), or D (5/4-5/11).

 

The Delaware State Forest turkey hunting permit application is availablehere.

 

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.