DELAWARE - DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters to submit an application to hunt turkeys this season in Delaware.
Applications are due by Jan. 6. Hunters must submit separate applications for State Wildlife Areas and National Wildlife Refuge turkey hunts and Delaware State Forest turkey hunts.
DNREC says these permits allow a hunter to harvest a wild turkey in a specific state wildlife area during a specific week-long segment of the season. The 2026 spring wild turkey hunting season runs from April 11 to May 9.
In early January, DNREC says all valid applicants are entered into the lottery and assigned a random number for the permit drawing. They say permits are issued based on draw number, from lowest to highest, until there are no remaining permits. Hunters that are issued a permit will be mailed a permit letter indicating the wildlife area and season segment that was awarded, along with a survey they are asking to be returned at the end of the hunting season.
After the 2026 drawing, awarded permits will be listed here, by hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN).
In the 2025 season, 834 valid applications were entered into the lottery, with 544 permits available.