Delaware Updates Hunting Rules for Young Hunters

State of DE - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has updated its hunting rules for young hunters. The changes follow a Delaware Supreme Court ruling that affects hunters ages 18 to 20.

The ruling reverses an earlier decision by the Delaware Superior Court. That decision came almost a year ago and found that the state's constitutional right to keep and bear arms applies to all Delawareans age 18 or older. It removed a rule from a 2022 law that required hunters ages 18 to 20 to hunt under direct supervision from someone age 21 or older when the 2025-26 seasons opened.

The Supreme Court's ruling involves House Bill 451, a 2022 law that changed the age at which a person can possess, purchase and sell a firearm in Delaware. The law was not written specifically about hunting. It had a three-year grace period before full enactment and is still being challenged in federal court.

Because of the ruling, the rules partly return to what the 2022 law said. Hunters ages 18 to 20 must again hunt under direct supervision when using certain firearms as a method of take.

Hunters who are 21 can hunt on their own with any firearm that is a legal method of take in Delaware. Hunters under 16 must be under direct supervision at all times, no matter the method of take.

A separate law, House Substitute 1 for House Bill 427, passed earlier this year and also changes the rules for younger hunters. It allows hunters ages 16 and 17 to hunt without direct supervision if certain requirements are met. Those hunters need permission from a parent or guardian, an approved basic hunter education course, and a valid hunting license.

DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife has revised the online version of the 2026-27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The update explains the new rules and lists the supervision requirements for each age group, along with the methods of take for supervised and unsupervised hunting.