The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Fish and Wildlife has updated Delaware hunting regulations concerning direct supervision impacting 18- to 20-year-old hunters after a state Supreme Court ruling struck down an earlier state Superior Court decision that had allowed hunters 18 to 20 years of age to hunt without direct supervision when using a range of hunting firearms.

The high court reversal pertains to House Bill 451, a 2022 law amending the age in which a person can possess, purchase and sell a firearm in Delaware. The law, which had a three-year grace period for full enactment, did not specifically focus on hunting and is still under a federal court challenge. Some of its provisions regarding supervised and unsupervised hunting have been effected by House Substitute 1 for House Bill 427, which passed into law earlier this year. That law allows hunters who are 16 to 17 years old to hunt without direct supervision if certain requirements are met. Separately, HB 427 allows individuals aged 16 to under 18 to hunt without direct supervision if they have permission from a parent or guardian, have completed an approved basic hunter education course, and are in possession of a valid hunting license.