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Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 13: deer harvest, public land and seasons

Hunters took 1,004 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 13 in the 2025-26 season, 220 antlered and 784 antlerless, against 976 the season before. 103 came off public land and 901 off private land. The zone is in Sussex County; 9.1% 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.

Map of Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 13: public land by manager, neighboring zones 10, 11, 14 and 16, highways US 13 and Laurel, Blades and Bethel

State wildlife areaState parkZone 13Neighboring zonesHighway

Zone 13 at a glance
Boundary (DNREC)Land bordered north by Route 20, south by Maryland State Line, east by Route 13, and west by Maryland State Line.
CountySussex County
Deer taken, 2025-261,004 (220 antlered, 784 antlerless)
On public land, 2025-26103 (10.3%)
Spring turkeys, 202633
Public land9.1% (5,333 acres)
Wildlife areasNanticoke Wildlife Area
Handgun season, 2027January 2 to 10

How many deer are taken in Zone 13 each season?

SeasonAntleredAntlerlessAll deerPublic landPrivate land
2025-262207841,004103901
2024-2523074697690886
2023-2421762183867771
2022-2318072290279823

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 13 taken?

SeasonArchery and crossbowFirearmMuzzleloaderSpecial antlerlessYouthDeer damage permits
2025-26139488898912187
2024-2512252379807163
2023-2483481683810158
2022-2376481846112162

Which public lands in Zone 13 give up deer?

SeasonState wildlife areasState forestState parksNational wildlife refuge
2025-26931300
2024-25771300
2023-24561100
2022-2370900

Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).

How many turkeys are taken in Zone 13?

Spring seasonTurkeysPublic landPrivate land
202633924
202534628
202422316

Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).

When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 13?

SeasonDatesNotes
Archery and crossbowSeptember 1 to January 31Statewide
Youth and non-ambulatory huntSeptember 26 and 27; November 7 to 8Statewide
Special antlerlessOctober 2 to 4, 23 to 25 and 30 to 31; December 12 to 20Antlerless only, but archers may take antlered deer
MuzzleloaderOctober 9 to 18; January 25 to 31Statewide
General firearm (shotgun)November 13 to 22; January 16 to 24Statewide
Handgun and straight-walled pistol-caliber rifleJanuary 2 to 10Open 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 13?

9.1% of Zone 13 is public land: 5,333 of its 58,774 acres. The largest share is state wildlife area, 5,310 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Zone 13
State wildlife area5,3109%
State park23under 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.

Wildlife areas in Zone 13

Wildlife areaAcres in Zone 13
Nanticoke Wildlife Area4,651

Which zones border Zone 13?

ZoneDeer, 2025-26AntleredPublic land deerSpring turkeys, 2026Public land
Zone 1087525422272.1%
Zone 111,3814172947314.4%
Zone 148752371903512.3%
Zone 161,09834065586.5%

Highways crossing Zone 13: US 13 (25 miles). Towns inside: Laurel, Blades and Bethel.

Questions hunters ask

How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 13?

1,004 in 2025-26: 220 antlered and 784 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 930 a year. Firearms took 488, archery and crossbow 139 and muzzleloaders 89.

Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 13?

DNREC describes it as: "Land bordered north by Route 20, south by Maryland State Line, east by Route 13, and west by Maryland State Line." It lies in Sussex County and borders Zone 10, Zone 11, Zone 14 and Zone 16.

How much of the deer harvest in Zone 13 comes off public land?

103 of 1,004 deer in 2025-26, 10.3%: 93 on state wildlife areas and 13 on state forest (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).

How many turkeys are taken in Zone 13?

33 in the 2026 spring season, against 34 in 2025 (DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data)).

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Where these numbers come from

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.

Delaware hunting Zone 10 Zone 11 Zone 14 Zone 16