Emory said that flyovers of the 17 deer management zones are used to count numbers of deer, combined with the information gathered by hunters.

The state also instituted a Deer Damage Assistance Program. Farmers and others with deer-damage problems may harvest unlimited numbers of antlerless deer by permit during the normal hunting seasons.

And a Severe Deer Damage Assistance Program allows an unlimited antlerless deer harvest from August 15 through May 15.

"We also opted to break up the different deer seasons into smaller segments instead of one long season," Emory added.

"Our data showed that when a season runs for a lengthy time, it breaks up the deer's habits and cuts into the success of the hunters. By breaking up the seasons with time between them, the deer will resume their migration and feeding habits, giving hunters a better-quality hunt."

The state also brought in experts from out of state to help set up a quality-deer management program, which is how the state is now managing its 17 deer management zones.

Delaware also has a Hunters Feeding the Hungry Program to ensure that the deer harvested not only by hunters, but also as part of the Deer Damage Assistance Program, to put these harvested deer to good use.

G&F: How is the access for hunters in Delaware?

Emory: The state manages some 60,000 acres under its Wildlife Management Area Program. In addition, the Division works with farmers and private landowners to open up acreage for hunters, especially in relation to deer management.

G&F: How many licensed hunters are there in Delaware?

Emory: There are approximately 19,000 licensed hunters in the state, and that number has remained relatively stable for the last several years.

Turkeys
G&F: How is the turkey hunting in the state?

Emory: This past year, turkey hunters harvested about 50 birds.

While the harvest numbers have stayed steady, the overall population is down because of poor conditions during the breeding season.

Small Game
G&F: What's your assessment of small-game hunting in the state?

Emory: When it comes to game birds, our state has very little in the way of pheasant hunting. While some pheasants are taken each year, quail is the favorite small-game bird.

Quail numbers began dropping in the 1980s due to loss of habitat because of development. In recent years, however, hunters are starting to see increasing coveys of birds, which points to some rebounding of the quail population.