Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 17: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 713 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 17 in the 2025-26 season, 185 antlered and 528 antlerless, against 864 the season before. 113 came off public land and 600 off private land. The zone is in Sussex County; 7% 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 parkMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 17Neighboring zonesHighway
| Boundary (DNREC) | Land bordered north by Indian River Bay, south by the Maryland State Line, east by the Atlantic Ocean, and west by Route 113. |
|---|---|
| County | Sussex County |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 713 (185 antlered, 528 antlerless) |
| On public land, 2025-26 | 113 (15.8%) |
| Spring turkeys, 2026 | 30 |
| Public land | 7% (4,403 acres) |
| Wildlife areas | Assawoman Wildlife Area |
| Handgun season, 2027 | January 2 to 10 |
How many deer are taken in Zone 17 each season?
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 185 | 528 | 713 | 113 | 600 |
| 2024-25 | 210 | 654 | 864 | 44 | 927 |
| 2023-24 | 170 | 525 | 695 | 77 | 618 |
| 2022-23 | 184 | 655 | 839 | 98 | 741 |
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 17 taken?
| Season | Archery and crossbow | Firearm | Muzzleloader | Special antlerless | Youth | Deer damage permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 137 | 356 | 43 | 81 | 11 | 85 |
| 2024-25 | 209 | 414 | 58 | 78 | 7 | 98 |
| 2023-24 | 103 | 366 | 52 | 66 | 7 | 100 |
| 2022-23 | 96 | 458 | 71 | 96 | 2 | 111 |
Which public lands in Zone 17 give up deer?
| Season | State wildlife areas | State forest | State parks | National wildlife refuge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 107 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 70 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 97 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 17?
| Spring season | Turkeys | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 9 | 21 |
| 2025 | 27 | 4 | 23 |
| 2024 | 28 | 3 | 23 |
Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 17?
| 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 17?
7% of Zone 17 is public land: 4,403 of its 63,219 acres. The largest share is state wildlife area, 3,036 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife area | 3,036 | 4.8% |
| State park | 1,367 | 2.2% |
| Military (closed unless the base allows) | 100 | 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 17
| Wildlife area | Acres in Zone 17 |
|---|---|
| Assawoman Wildlife Area | 3,026 |
Which zones border Zone 17?
| Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Public land deer | Spring turkeys, 2026 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 14 | 875 | 237 | 190 | 35 | 12.3% |
| Zone 15 | 766 | 194 | 59 | 34 | 3.8% |
| Zone 16 | 1,098 | 340 | 65 | 58 | 6.5% |
Highways crossing Zone 17: DE 1 (18 miles). Towns inside: Selbyville, Ocean View, Millville and Dagsboro.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 17?
713 in 2025-26: 185 antlered and 528 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 778 a year. Firearms took 356, archery and crossbow 137 and muzzleloaders 43.
Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 17?
DNREC describes it as: "Land bordered north by Indian River Bay, south by the Maryland State Line, east by the Atlantic Ocean, and west by Route 113." It lies in Sussex County and borders Zone 14, Zone 15 and Zone 16.
How much of the deer harvest in Zone 17 comes off public land?
113 of 713 deer in 2025-26, 15.8%: 107 on state wildlife areas and 6 on state parks (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 17?
30 in the 2026 spring season, against 27 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.