Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 12: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 924 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 12 in the 2025-26 season, 238 antlered and 686 antlerless, against 1,149 the season before. 114 came off public land and 810 off private land. The zone is in Sussex County; 9% of it is public land.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: DNREC Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard. Seasons: 2026/27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, deer seasons (DNREC). Land: DNREC and PAD-US.
State wildlife areaState forestState parkNational wildlife refugeZone 12Neighboring zonesHighway
| Boundary (DNREC) | Land bordered north by intersection of Routes 113 and 1, south by Route 9, east by Route 1 and west by Route 113. |
|---|---|
| County | Sussex County |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 924 (238 antlered, 686 antlerless) |
| On public land, 2025-26 | 114 (12.3%) |
| Spring turkeys, 2026 | 37 |
| Public land | 9% (6,440 acres) |
| Handgun season, 2027 | January 2 to 10 |
How many deer are taken in Zone 12 each season?
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 238 | 686 | 924 | 114 | 810 |
| 2024-25 | 300 | 849 | 1,149 | 112 | 1,037 |
| 2023-24 | 229 | 565 | 794 | 112 | 682 |
| 2022-23 | 244 | 845 | 1,089 | 83 | 1,006 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data). Each season's zone rows add up to the statewide figure DNREC published or to its county table.
How are the deer in Zone 12 taken?
| Season | Archery and crossbow | Firearm | Muzzleloader | Special antlerless | Youth | Deer damage permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 171 | 460 | 61 | 88 | 5 | 139 |
| 2024-25 | 232 | 545 | 93 | 78 | 10 | 189 |
| 2023-24 | 102 | 443 | 72 | 59 | 16 | 101 |
| 2022-23 | 143 | 546 | 95 | 110 | 6 | 172 |
Which public lands in Zone 12 give up deer?
| Season | State wildlife areas | State forest | State parks | National wildlife refuge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 0 | 114 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 0 | 111 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 0 | 108 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 1 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 12?
| Spring season | Turkeys | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37 | 2 | 35 |
| 2025 | 38 | 7 | 31 |
| 2024 | 41 | 5 | 34 |
Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 12?
| Season | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Archery and crossbow | September 1 to January 31 | Statewide |
| Youth and non-ambulatory hunt | September 26 and 27; November 7 to 8 | Statewide |
| Special antlerless | October 2 to 4, 23 to 25 and 30 to 31; December 12 to 20 | Antlerless only, but archers may take antlered deer |
| Muzzleloader | October 9 to 18; January 25 to 31 | Statewide |
| General firearm (shotgun) | November 13 to 22; January 16 to 24 | Statewide |
| Handgun and straight-walled pistol-caliber rifle | January 2 to 10 | Open in this zone |
Only 2 antlered deer may be taken in a license year, by all methods together; antlerless deer have no limit as long as the hunter holds an antlerless tag for each. Sunday hunting is open for all game species in 2026-27.
Sources: 2026/27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, deer seasons (DNREC); DNREC Chronic Wasting Disease hunting guide addendum, 2026/27.
How much public land is in Zone 12?
9% of Zone 12 is public land: 6,440 of its 71,408 acres. The largest share is state forest, 5,978 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 12 |
|---|---|---|
| State forest | 5,978 | 8.4% |
| State wildlife area | 342 | 0.5% |
| State park | 67 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge | 53 | 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside DNREC's zone line from DNREC managed lands (FirstMap) for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land. Wildlife areas need a Conservation Access Pass on vehicles that use them; DNREC Wildlife Area Maps and Regulations has each area's rules.
Which zones border Zone 12?
| Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Public land deer | Spring turkeys, 2026 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 8 | 1,286 | 345 | 82 | 48 | 3.6% |
| Zone 9 | 819 | 266 | 227 | 63 | 27.3% |
| Zone 11 | 1,381 | 417 | 294 | 73 | 14.4% |
| Zone 14 | 875 | 237 | 190 | 35 | 12.3% |
| Zone 15 | 766 | 194 | 59 | 34 | 3.8% |
Highways crossing Zone 12: DE 1 (31 miles), US 113 (7 miles) and US 9 (2 miles). Towns inside: Milford, Georgetown, Milton and Ellendale.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 12?
924 in 2025-26: 238 antlered and 686 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 989 a year. Firearms took 460, archery and crossbow 171 and muzzleloaders 61.
Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 12?
DNREC describes it as: "Land bordered north by intersection of Routes 113 and 1, south by Route 9, east by Route 1 and west by Route 113." It lies in Sussex County and borders Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 11, Zone 14 and Zone 15.
How much of the deer harvest in Zone 12 comes off public land?
114 of 924 deer in 2025-26, 12.3%: 114 on state forest (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 12?
37 in the 2026 spring season, against 38 in 2025 (DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data); DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data); DNREC: 2025-26 deer harvest totals.
- Seasons: 2026/27 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide, deer seasons (DNREC); DNREC Chronic Wasting Disease hunting guide addendum, 2026/27.
- Zone boundary and description: DNREC Wildlife Management Zones. Public land: DNREC managed lands (FirstMap) for state land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Numbers are copied from DNREC and federal sources or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.