Killen’s Pond will host a youth deer hunt and lottery this year. In order to participate, children must attend a lottery on Saturday, October 25 at 10 AM at Campground Pavilion 4. Youth hunters will leave the lottery knowing if they have secured a stand for the youth hunt which is planned for November 1.
Youth must be between 10 and 15 years old and attend the hunt with an adult mentor who is 21 or older. All hunters must have completed a Hunter Education course and possess a Division hunting permit. Youth hunters who are 13 to 15 must also possess a Junior Hunting license. Mentors must also possess a Delaware Hunting License or be exempt.
Adult mentors are not allowed to shoot. Only one youth and one adult will be allowed to occupy each deer stand. Youth hunters may use a shotgun or single-barrel muzzleloader. Only antlerless deer and quality bucks may be hunted. Quality buck tags may only be used on antlered deer with an outside antler spread of at least 15 inches. The distance between the tips of a deer’s ears when both ears are held straight out from the head in the “alert” position is approximately 15 inches, so a deer in which this tag would be applicable would generally need to have antlers that are at least as wide as the space between his ear tips.
All deer harvested must be reported on the sign-in/sign-out sheet at the tag board and registered via online or toll-free reporting systems as required by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. When reporting deer, the land type is “public,’ the county is “Kent,” and the zone is “8.” The location type is “State or County park” and the location description is “Killen’s Pond State Park.”
Killen’s Pond asks hunters to be careful, discrete and considerate around other park visitors and understand that many park patrons are not hunters which means they could feel threatened by the presence of hunters. Please do not trespass on neighboring property. As a reminder, Killen’s Pond is a carry-in, carry-out facility so all trash must be taken with the hunter and mentor when they leave.
The Youth Deer Hunt is part of the park’s deer management system. White-tail deer have been known to damage their habitat when they exceed 20 deer per square mile. In the majority of state parks, the deer herds reach much greater numbers.
For more information and registration, call 302-284-4526 or visit the park office at 5025 Killen’s Pond Road, Felton DE 19943. Camping Pavilion 4 is located at 3015 Paradise Alley Road in Felton. Hunting license and hunting course information can be found on the DNREC website.
