| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 23 NOV 2026 – 28 FEB 2027 | 98d |
As publishedNov 23, 2026 - Feb 28, 2027 (pen-raised/released birds only per official guide; codified text says season may end 2nd Saturday of Feb instead - see note)
It is unlawful to hunt wild quail in Delaware; only pen-raised and released birds may be taken, and only under a Division permit. Delaware's codified regulation (7 Del. Admin. Code 3900-4.0, as mirrored by Cornell LII) states the season runs through 'the second Saturday of February,' but the official 2026/27 printed Hunting & Trapping Guide (published 2026-06-29, more current/season-specific) states Nov 23, 2026 - Feb 28, 2027, matching the pheasant season end date. The guide is treated as authoritative for this cycle; the discrepancy is flagged for review.
Delaware's legal quail season is pen-raised/released birds only (wild quail hunting is prohibited by regulation), but DNREC has a real, actively expanding wild-population restoration program with a well-documented geography. Prescribed-fire and invasive-removal habitat work begun in 2009 at Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area (southern New Castle County) has grown the local wild quail population from dozens of birds to roughly 800, per DNREC wildlife biologist Eric Ludwig. DNREC has since extended the same prescribed-burn habitat work south along the Delaware Bayshore corridor from New Castle to just south of Milford, and has documented a newly detected small population at Marshy Hope Wildlife Area (Sussex County, near Bridgeville), where DNREC is now partnering with Maryland DNR, the Delaware Forest Service, Tall Timbers, and Quail Forever to prepare habitat for the population's continued expansion.
Only pen-raised, released birds may legally be taken in Delaware, but there's a real wild-population story behind the numbers: DNREC's Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area restoration — prescribed fire and invasive-species removal, begun 2009 — has grown the local wild quail population from "dozens" of birds roughly 15 years ago to an estimated 800 today. DNREC is now extending the same habitat work along the Delaware Bayshore corridor (New Castle to south of Milford), has documented a newly detected small population at Marshy Hope Wildlife Area (east of Bridgeville), and is eyeing a Sussex County site for a similar comeback. This is a single restoration-area narrative, not a statewide census or a numeric hunter-facing forecast — no DNREC-published pre-season outlook document exists for Delaware bobwhite quail.
Sustained habitat restoration (prescribed fire, invasive-species removal) at Cedar Swamp WMA over roughly 15 years, not a single-season weather or survey event.
Join the waitlist and tell us what you’re working on — the planner reads it first once your access opens.
Free, invite-gated, unsubscribe anytime. See what it returns