The Overview

Delaware hunters and trappers who are exempt from buying a state license must now complete the same state-approved education course that licensed hunters already take. Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed House Bill 412 on July 23, and it took effect that day. ​

The law also settles two questions that matter to deer hunters: whether a dog can be used to find a wounded deer and whether antlers and mounts can be sold. Delaware hunters took 16,746 deer in the 2025-26 season, down 11% from the record 18,823 the season before, according to state wildlife officials.

What the Law Does

The education requirement closes a gap in state law for hunters and trappers who don’t need a license. Many already take the course, the bill’s synopsis says, and the law now makes it mandatory.

Hunters can now use dogs to track or recover a wounded or dead deer that was lawfully shot during an open season. The law also allows the sale of finished taxidermy mounts and antlers from lawfully killed deer. It adds fishing, crabbing and clamming to one list of licensed activities to match the rest of state law, a technical fix rather than a new license requirement.

The law rewrites the rules on drugging wildlife so they cover all protected wildlife, not just game animals and birds. Giving any drug to protected wildlife without written permission from the director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife is now a class B environmental misdemeanor for each offense. Licensed veterinarians, permitted wildlife rehabilitators, some government work and approved nuisance-wildlife control are exempt.

Legislative Status

Rep. Bill Carson (D) sponsored the bill, with Rep. Jeffrey Spiegelman (R) and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn (R) as additional sponsors. The House replaced the original version with a substitute May 21 and passed it 39-0 on June 11, and the Senate passed it 20-0 on July 1, with one member absent.

The Sportsmen’s Alliance, a national hunting rights group, called the law a comprehensive package for hunting, trapping and wildlife. The bill had support from both parties, with a Democratic lead sponsor and two Republican cosponsors.

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