Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 1A: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 919 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 1A in the 2025-26 season, 312 antlered and 607 antlerless, against 1,056 the season before. 236 came off public land and 683 off private land. The zone is in New Castle County; 7.8% 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 parkNational Park ServiceMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Zone 1ANeighboring zonesHighway
| Boundary (DNREC) | All land north of the line created beginning at the Delaware Memorial Bridge and following Interstate 295 to its intersection with Interstate 95 to the Delaware/Maryland border. |
|---|---|
| County | New Castle County |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 919 (312 antlered, 607 antlerless) |
| On public land, 2025-26 | 236 (25.7%) |
| Spring turkeys, 2026 | 0 |
| Public land | 7.8% (7,526 acres) |
| Handgun season, 2027 | Closed in this zone |
How many deer are taken in Zone 1A each season?
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 312 | 607 | 919 | 236 | 683 |
| 2024-25 | 290 | 766 | 1,056 | 280 | 776 |
| 2023-24 | 280 | 561 | 841 | 260 | 581 |
| 2022-23 | 267 | 612 | 879 | 254 | 625 |
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 1A taken?
| Season | Archery and crossbow | Firearm | Muzzleloader | Special antlerless | Youth | Deer damage permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 567 | 209 | 18 | 58 | 6 | 61 |
| 2024-25 | 666 | 236 | 36 | 45 | 3 | 70 |
| 2023-24 | 355 | 284 | 97 | 67 | 1 | 34 |
| 2022-23 | 363 | 284 | 98 | 88 | 3 | 41 |
Which public lands in Zone 1A give up deer?
| Season | State wildlife areas | State forest | State parks | National wildlife refuge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 0 | 0 | 236 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 0 | 0 | 280 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 0 | 0 | 260 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 0 | 0 | 261 | 0 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 1A?
| Spring season | Turkeys | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 1A?
| 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 | Closed in Zones 1A and 1B |
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 1A?
7.8% of Zone 1A is public land: 7,526 of its 96,033 acres. The largest share is state park, 6,614 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 1A |
|---|---|---|
| State park | 6,614 | 6.9% |
| National Park Service | 889 | 0.9% |
| State wildlife area | 23 | under 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 1A?
| Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Public land deer | Spring turkeys, 2026 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1B | 372 | 136 | 172 | 26 | 10.1% |
Highways crossing Zone 1A: I-95 (36 miles), US 13 (23 miles), I-495 (23 miles), US 202 (22 miles), I-295 (5 miles) and US 40 (3 miles). Towns inside: Wilmington, Newark, Elsmere and Newport.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 1A?
919 in 2025-26: 312 antlered and 607 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 924 a year. Firearms took 209, archery and crossbow 567 and muzzleloaders 18.
Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 1A?
DNREC describes it as: "All land north of the line created beginning at the Delaware Memorial Bridge and following Interstate 295 to its intersection with Interstate 95 to the Delaware/Maryland border." It lies in New Castle County and borders Zone 1B.
How much of the deer harvest in Zone 1A comes off public land?
236 of 919 deer in 2025-26, 25.7%: 236 on state parks (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 1A?
0 in the 2026 spring season, against 0 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.