Lawmakers send Delta-supported legislation to allow for Sunday waterfowl hunting to Gov. Carney for signature

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA —The Delaware Senate voted 20-0, with one absent, to pass House Bill 271, legislation that will finally end the antiquated prohibition against hunting game birds on Sundays in the state. Delta Waterfowl provided both written and oral testimony before both House and Senate committees prior to votes during the legislative process and were encouraged to see that not a single “NO” vote was recorded in either chamber.

Introduced by Rep. Bill Carson and Sen. Jack Walsh, this legislation will eliminate the state’s decades-old prohibition against hunting game birds on Sundays. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will maintain authority to establish and regulate season dates, bag limits, and enforcement for the hunting of game birds. Prior to this legislation, Delaware waterfowl hunters were among the few outdoor users legally prevented from participating in their activity of choice on Sundays, even on lands they own or lease.

Sportsmen and women often cite "lack of time" as the No. 1 reason they stop hunting. Many hunters are prevented from introducing new or novice hunters to the great outdoors because they are competing against work, organized sports, and other activities on Saturdays, which is currently their only opportunity to hunt outside of the typical work and school week. Allowing an extra weekend day to access the outdoors will provide access equity and help recruit and retain a robust hunter population that is needed to provide critical funding for the overall conservation efforts in Delaware.

“Expanding Sunday hunting opportunities in the jurisdictions where there are current prohibitions is one of the most requested policy changes we hear from waterfowl hunters up and down the east coast, and we will keep working to repeal them,” said Cyrus Baird, Delta Waterfowl senior director of government affairs. “We want thank Rep. Carson and Sen. Walsh, the bill’s additional co-sponsors, and members of the Delaware Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish for their leadership on this issue and look forward to Gov. Carney signing this legislation to allow for Sunday hunting in the upcoming 2024-2025 waterfowl season.”

Gov. Carney will have roughly 10 days to sign this legislation once it hits his desk, and Delta Waterfowl encourages him to move quickly so that the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife can immediately include Sunday hunting in their upcoming regulatory season date setting process and waterfowl hunters can begin planning for the 2024-2025 waterfowl seasons knowing they will be able to enjoy the duck blind on Sunday morning with friends and family.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.

For more information contact Cyrus Baird, senior director of government affairs, at cbaird@deltawaterfowl.org.