By Mike Finney

Delaware hunters harvested 16,848 deer — the state’s third-highest number — during the 2022-’23 hunting season, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced Tuesday.

The number reported by the Division of Fish and Wildlife represents an increase of 9.5% over last year’s harvest total and ranks behind the 2021-’22 season and the record-setting 2020-’21 season, when 17,265 deer were taken.

It also marked the 10th straight year the harvest exceeded 14,000 deer, with 1,704 (10%) killed via deer damage assistance programs designed to help farmers experiencing harm to crops.

Sussex County had the highest rate, with 8,986 deer, followed by Kent County with 5,235 and New Castle with 2,627.

During the season, hunters harvested more females (9,789) than males (7,059). The doe harvest was a record, eclipsing 2004-’05.

Antlerless deer — does, juvenile bucks without antlers (button bucks), bucks with antlers measuring less than 3 inches and bucks that had already shed their antlers when harvested — represented 74.1% of the total.

Other season statistics of note include:

• The November general firearm season yielded 6,995 deer or 41.5% of the harvest.
• The highest wildlife management zone harvest was from Zone 11 in Sussex County, an area bordered by U.S. 113 and U.S. 13 to the east and west, and Del. 16 and U.S. 9 to the north and south, respectively.
• The preferred method of take for hunters was by shotgun, accounting for 35% of the deer killed.

For information about Delaware deer management, visit de.gov/deer.