Delaware’s record breaking deer harvest

More than 14,000 deer were killed by Delaware hunters during the 2015-16 hunting season – the most since record keeping began in 1954.

Delaware hunters set multiple records for deer kills during the season, which generally runs from September through January. 14,681 deer were harvested this season, topping the previous record of 14,669 in 2004-05.

“We anticipated that hunters would have a successful season this year due to overall favorable hunting conditions experienced during most of the season,” said biologist with the Division of Fish and Wildlife Joe Rogerson.

Hunters were most successful in the state’s most rural county. Sussex County hunters harvested 7,960 deer, a record for the county. Hunters killed 2,548 deer in New Castle County and another 4,173 deer were killed in Kent County.

Despite the record setting numbers this year, Delaware’s Wildlife Section Administrator Rob Hossler expects another successful season this coming fall. “We fully expect hunters to continue to enjoy Delaware’s deer hunting opportunities for years to come due to the sustainable deer population.”

According to a 2009 state aerial survey, Delaware’s deer population stands at more than 31,000. That translates to about 44 deer per square mile statewide.