Hunting and Fishing at the Refuge

Fishing is popular at Prime Hook NWR and catches include pickerel, bass, white perch and black crappie. State and federal regulations are in effect and a Delaware fishing license is required for non-tidal waters.

-Sportfishing in Fleetwood Pond and Turkle Pond in small boats with manually propelled or electric motors are permitted.

-Fishing in Prime Hook Creek and the marsh area serviced by the office canal with outboard motors not exceeding 25 HP is permitted.

-Petersfield Ditch and Slaughter Canal are accessible from road bridges and yield fish and crabs.

2007-2008 HUNTING SEASON AT PRIMEHOOK

Hunting, which is identified by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 as one of the six wildlife-dependent recreational uses on refuges, is a very popular form of recreation at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge Manager Terry Villanueva announced recently that there will be public hunting opportunities for deer, upland game & webless migratory birds, and waterfowl on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge during the 2007-2008 hunting season. A complete listing of hunting information and regulations can be accessed at our website at http://www.primehook.fws.gov or at the refuge office.

DEER HUNTING: Deer hunters can participate in archery and firearms hunting opportunities on designated dates and areas. Permits are issued through a preseason lottery drawing, by a standby lottery drawing at the check station 2 hours before shooting time on the day of the hunt, and then by self-service until 2:00pm. Applications for the preseason lottery drawing, except party zone applications, are not available on our website this year; however, they can be picked up in person at the following locations no earlier than August 24: 1.)Headquarters Office at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton; 2.)Headquarters Office at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna; and 3.)DNREC's Richardson & Robbins Building in Dover. Party zone applications can be downloaded from the refuge's website.

There are a total of six deer hunting applications: Early Muzzleloader, Early Shotgun, December Antlerless, Late Shotgun, Late Muzzleloader, and Headquarters Area. Applications will not be mailed or accepted over the telephone. Completed applications for the October muzzleloader season must be received in person at the refuge office or postmarked no later than September 14, 2007. The application deadline for the rest of the firearms hunts is October 8, 2007.