Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 9: deer harvest, public land and seasons
Hunters took 819 deer in Delaware's Wildlife Management Zone 9 in the 2025-26 season, 266 antlered and 553 antlerless, against 848 the season before. 227 came off public land and 592 off private land. The zone is in Sussex County; 27.3% 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 9Neighboring zonesHighway
| Boundary (DNREC) | Land bordered north by Road 18, south by Route 1, east by Delaware Bay and AtlanticOcean and west by Routes 113 and 1. |
|---|---|
| County | Sussex County |
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 819 (266 antlered, 553 antlerless) |
| On public land, 2025-26 | 227 (27.7%) |
| Spring turkeys, 2026 | 63 |
| Public land | 27.3% (22,507 acres) |
| Wildlife areas | Milford Neck Wildlife Area |
| Handgun season, 2027 | January 2 to 10 |
How many deer are taken in Zone 9 each season?
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 266 | 553 | 819 | 227 | 592 |
| 2024-25 | 288 | 560 | 848 | 245 | 603 |
| 2023-24 | 229 | 516 | 745 | 215 | 530 |
| 2022-23 | 248 | 654 | 902 | 226 | 676 |
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 9 taken?
| Season | Archery and crossbow | Firearm | Muzzleloader | Special antlerless | Youth | Deer damage permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 174 | 468 | 50 | 69 | 5 | 52 |
| 2024-25 | 185 | 470 | 83 | 54 | 4 | 52 |
| 2023-24 | 126 | 454 | 69 | 44 | 7 | 44 |
| 2022-23 | 108 | 553 | 87 | 65 | 2 | 70 |
Which public lands in Zone 9 give up deer?
| Season | State wildlife areas | State forest | State parks | National wildlife refuge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 102 | 0 | 76 | 49 |
| 2024-25 | 107 | 86 | 52 | |
| 2023-24 | 81 | 0 | 86 | 48 |
| 2022-23 | 102 | 0 | 85 | 41 |
Source: DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 9?
| Spring season | Turkeys | Public land | Private land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 63 | 14 | 49 |
| 2025 | 58 | 20 | 38 |
| 2024 | 44 | 9 | 33 |
Source: DNREC turkey harvest by zone (Delaware Turkey Harvest Information Dashboard data).
When are the 2026-27 deer seasons in Zone 9?
| 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 9?
27.3% of Zone 9 is public land: 22,507 of its 82,336 acres. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 9,315 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Zone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge | 9,315 | 11.3% |
| State park | 6,638 | 8.1% |
| State wildlife area | 6,554 | 8% |
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 9
| Wildlife area | Acres in Zone 9 |
|---|---|
| Milford Neck Wildlife Area | 5,025 |
Which zones border Zone 9?
| Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Public land deer | Spring turkeys, 2026 | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 5 | 639 | 208 | 146 | 47 | 32.3% |
| Zone 8 | 1,286 | 345 | 82 | 48 | 3.6% |
| Zone 12 | 924 | 238 | 114 | 37 | 9% |
| Zone 15 | 766 | 194 | 59 | 34 | 3.8% |
Highways crossing Zone 9: DE 1 (6 miles) and US 9 (4 miles). Towns inside: Lewes, Slaughter Beach, Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres.
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are taken in Delaware Zone 9?
819 in 2025-26: 266 antlered and 553 antlerless (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)). Over the 4 seasons from 2022-23 the zone averaged 829 a year. Firearms took 468, archery and crossbow 174 and muzzleloaders 50.
Where is Delaware Wildlife Management Zone 9?
DNREC describes it as: "Land bordered north by Road 18, south by Route 1, east by Delaware Bay and AtlanticOcean and west by Routes 113 and 1." It lies in Sussex County and borders Zone 5, Zone 8, Zone 12 and Zone 15.
How much of the deer harvest in Zone 9 comes off public land?
227 of 819 deer in 2025-26, 27.7%: 102 on state wildlife areas, 76 on state parks and 49 on national wildlife refuge (DNREC deer harvest by zone (Delaware Deer Harvest Information Dashboard data)).
How many turkeys are taken in Zone 9?
63 in the 2026 spring season, against 58 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.