Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 15: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 766 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 15 in the 2025-26 season, 194 antlered and 572 antlerless, against 971 the season before. 59 came off public land and 707 off private land. The zone is in Sussex County; 3.8% 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 parkZone 15Neighboring zonesHighway
| Boundary (DNREC) | Land bordered north by Route 9, south by south shore of Indian River Bay, east by the Atlantic Ocean, and west by Route 113. |
|---|---|
| County | Sussex County |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 766 (194 antlered, 572 antlerless) |
| On public land, 2025-26 | 59 (7.7%) |
| Spring turkeys, 2026 | 34 |
| Public land | 3.8% (3,663 acres) |
| Wildlife areas | Assawoman Wildlife Area |
| Handgun season, 2027 | January 2 to 10 |
How many deer are taken in Zone 15 each season?
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 194 | 572 | 766 | 59 | 707 |
| 2024-25 | 245 | 726 | 971 | 44 | 927 |
| 2023-24 | 195 | 579 | 774 | 26 | 748 |
| 2022-23 | 190 | 753 | 943 | 53 | 890 |
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 15 taken?
| Season | Archery and crossbow | Firearm | Muzzleloader | Special antlerless | Youth | Deer damage permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 184 | 348 | 48 | 97 | 3 | 83 |
| 2024-25 | 205 | 495 | 63 | 80 | 3 | 125 |
| 2023-24 | 125 | 391 | 58 | 61 | 7 | 129 |
| 2022-23 | 141 | 448 | 104 | 102 | 6 | 138 |
Which public lands in Zone 15 give up deer?
| Season | State wildlife areas | State forest | State parks | National wildlife refuge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 15 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 0 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 15?
| Spring season | Turkeys | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34 | 2 | 32 |
| 2025 | 38 | 0 | 38 |
| 2024 | 34 | 0 | 34 |
Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 15?
| 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 15?
3.8% of Zone 15 is public land: 3,663 of its 97,529 acres. The largest share is state park, 3,104 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 15 |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 3,104 | 3.2% |
| State wildlife area | 317 | 0.3% |
| State forest | 242 | 0.2% |
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 15
| Wildlife area | Acres in Zone 15 |
|---|---|
| Assawoman Wildlife Area | 234 |
Which zones border Zone 15?
| Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Public land deer | Spring turkeys, 2026 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 9 | 819 | 266 | 227 | 63 | 27.3% |
| Zone 11 | 1,381 | 417 | 294 | 73 | 14.4% |
| Zone 12 | 924 | 238 | 114 | 37 | 9% |
| Zone 14 | 875 | 237 | 190 | 35 | 12.3% |
| Zone 16 | 1,098 | 340 | 65 | 58 | 6.5% |
| Zone 17 | 713 | 185 | 113 | 30 | 7% |
Highways crossing Zone 15: DE 1 (29 miles) and US 9 (13 miles). Towns inside: Dewey Beach.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 15?
766 in 2025-26: 194 antlered and 572 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 864 a year. Firearms took 348, archery and crossbow 184 and muzzleloaders 48.
Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 15?
DNREC describes it as: "Land bordered north by Route 9, south by south shore of Indian River Bay, east by the Atlantic Ocean, and west by Route 113." It lies in Sussex County and borders Zone 9, Zone 11, Zone 12, Zone 14, Zone 16 and Zone 17.
How much of the deer harvest in Zone 15 comes off public land?
59 of 766 deer in 2025-26, 7.7%: 15 on state wildlife areas, 3 on state forest and 41 on state parks (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 15?
34 in the 2026 spring season, against 38 in 2025 (DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
Get a Delaware hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Delaware are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Delaware included.
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.
Delaware hunting Zone 9 Zone 11 Zone 12 Zone 14 Zone 16 Zone 17