{"id":80251,"date":"2026-06-11T17:22:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T21:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-expands-sunday-hunting-updates-weapon-rules-in-new-legislation\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:22:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T21:22:52","slug":"delaware-expands-sunday-hunting-updates-weapon-rules-in-new-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-expands-sunday-hunting-updates-weapon-rules-in-new-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Delaware Expands Sunday Hunting, Updates Weapon Rules in New Legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?resize=1200%2C630&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?resize=300%2C158&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?resize=1024%2C538&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?resize=768%2C403&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Delaware lawmakers have passed legislation that expands hunting opportunities across the state while updating regulations to reflect modern hunting practices.<\/p><p>The new law clarifies that Sunday hunting will be allowed for all game animals and birds that have established hunting seasons through the Department. However, private property owners and public agencies will retain authority over when and where Sunday hunting occurs on their lands, without creating excessive regulatory burden.<\/p><p>The legislation also streamlines regulations regarding handgun ammunition calibers allowed for deer hunting and modernizes rules governing other hunting equipment to keep pace with technological advances.<\/p><p>Additionally, the law reclassifies certain wildlife species. European and snowshoe hares will no longer be considered game animals, while skunks and weasels have been added to the game animal category.<\/p><p>The changes represent multiple amendments to Delaware&#8217;s Title 7 code, which governs regulations and restrictions related to game and fish management throughout the state.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Delaware legislation broadens recreational hunting opportunities by clarifying Sunday hunting permissions for all game species with established seasons. The bill also updates handgun ammunition requirements for deer hunting and reclassifies certain animals as game species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":80250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,833],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212971987.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-kSn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45081,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-spring-turkey-season-extended-with-special-youth-hunt-days\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":0},"title":"Delaware Spring Turkey Season Extended with Special Youth Hunt Days","author":"Admin","date":"March 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware's spring turkey hunting season gets an extra day this year, running April 10-May 11. The season kicks off with special youth and non-ambulatory hunter days on April 4-5.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agriculture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agriculture","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/agriculture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774962387881.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774962387881.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774962387881.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774962387881.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774962387881.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3076,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wild-turkey-hunting-season-kicks-off-in-delaware-april-2nd\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":1},"title":"Wild turkey hunting season kicks off in Delaware April 2nd","author":"admin","date":"March 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Wild turkey hunting in Delaware begins Saturday, April 2 with a one-day turkey hunt for youth ages 10 through 15 and for non-ambulatory hunters, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today \u2013 with the regular turkey hunting season opening Saturday, April 9 and running through Saturday, May\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Wild_turkey-USFWS-002-1.jpg?fit=859%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Wild_turkey-USFWS-002-1.jpg?fit=859%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Wild_turkey-USFWS-002-1.jpg?fit=859%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Wild_turkey-USFWS-002-1.jpg?fit=859%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18967,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-forest-service-issues-sunday-hunting-reminder-for-state-forests\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":2},"title":"Delaware Forest Service Issues Sunday Hunting Reminder for State Forests","author":"admin","date":"November 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"DELAWARE \u2014 Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in Delaware are reminded that all state forests are closed to hunting on Sundays, according to a recent post on the Delaware Forest Service\u2019s Facebook page. The agency emphasized safety and responsible use of forest lands. Blackbird State Forest near Smyrna, Redden State Forest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/white-tailed-doe-2024-12-02-23-14-43-utc-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/white-tailed-doe-2024-12-02-23-14-43-utc-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/white-tailed-doe-2024-12-02-23-14-43-utc-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/white-tailed-doe-2024-12-02-23-14-43-utc-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/white-tailed-doe-2024-12-02-23-14-43-utc-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4498,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/numerous-delaware-hunting-seasons-to-open-in-september\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":3},"title":"Numerous Delaware Hunting Seasons to Open in September","author":"Admin","date":"August 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware hunters can start their 2022\/2023 hunting season Thursday, Sept. 1 with the opening of mourning dove, archery and crossbow deer, coyote and resident Canada goose hunting seasons, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Teal season opens Saturday, Sept. 10 and gray squirrel season opens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/dnrec-logo.png?fit=667%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/dnrec-logo.png?fit=667%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/dnrec-logo.png?fit=667%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16281,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-hunters-take-note-new-season-guide-now-available-with-updated-rules-and-requirements\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":4},"title":"Delaware Hunters Take Note: New Season Guide Now Available with Updated Rules and Requirements","author":"admin","date":"July 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Delaware \u2014 The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has officially released the 2025\/26 Hunting and Trapping Guide. It\u2019s available now from recreational license agents statewide, DNREC\u2019s Fish and Wildlife office in Dover, or directly online through DNREC\u2019s website https:\/\/dnrec.delaware.gov. This year\u2019s guide outlines several important changes,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_5494-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_5494-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_5494-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5030,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/additional-delaware-deer-hunting-seasons-open-in-january\/","url_meta":{"origin":80251,"position":5},"title":"Additional Delaware Deer Hunting Seasons Open in January","author":"Admin","date":"December 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Additional firearm deer hunting seasons opening in January and the continuing archery deer hunting seasons provide the last chance for hunters to harvest deer during the 2022\/23 hunting season, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Deer hunters are encouraged to harvest does (female deer) during\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Environmental-Alert-News-Release-2.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Environmental-Alert-News-Release-2.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Environmental-Alert-News-Release-2.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Environmental-Alert-News-Release-2.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Environmental-Alert-News-Release-2.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}