DNREC Updates Hunting Regulations on Direct Supervision for Hunters 16 to 20 Years of Age
Delaware Supreme Court Overturns Lower Court Ruling on Firearm
Ownership for 18- to 20-Year-olds While Another Regulation
Impacts Direct Supervision for 16- and 17-Year-old Hunters
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Fish and Wildlife has updated Delaware hunting regulations concerning direct supervision impacting 18- to 20-year-old hunters after a state Supreme Court ruling struck down an earlier state Superior Court decision that had allowed hunters 18 to 20 years of age to hunt without direct supervision when using a range of hunting firearms.
The high court reversal pertains to House Bill 451, a 2022 law amending the age in which a person can possess, purchase and sell a firearm in Delaware. The law, which had a three-year grace period for full enactment, did not specifically focus on hunting and is still under a federal court challenge. Some of its provisions regarding supervised and unsupervised hunting have been effected by House Substitute 1 for House Bill 427, which passed into law earlier this year. That law allows hunters who are 16 to 17 years old to hunt without direct supervision if certain requirements are met. Separately, HB 427 allows individuals aged 16 to under 18 to hunt without direct supervision if they have permission from a parent or guardian, have completed an approved basic hunter education course, and are in possession of a valid hunting license.
The high court’s ruling on HB 451 came almost a year after a state Superior Court determined that Delaware’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms extended to all Delawareans age 18 or older – eliminating a provision in Delaware Code from a 2022 law stating that hunters 18 to 20 years old would require direct supervision from a person age 21 or older when the state’s 2025-26 hunting seasons opened.
The regulations now partially revert to the 2022 law calling for direct supervision of hunter age groups 18 to 20 when using certain firearms as a method of take. Hunters who are 21 years old can hunt unsupervised with any firearms that are a legal method of take in Delaware, while hunters under the age of 16 must be under direct supervision at all times regardless of the method of take when hunting.
DNREC has revised the online version of the 2026-27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide to clarify the revised regulations resulting from the Supreme Court decision. Direct supervision requirements now in effect for various age groups of hunters along with methods of take when hunting supervised or unsupervised are found in the accompanying chart below.
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 75,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov
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