G&F: How is the rabbit population doing?

Emory: Rabbit hunting has been holding on. However, a growing fox population is cutting into the numbers of rabbits in some areas.

At present, foxes can be taken only with a damage-control permit. We recently had a law passed that will allow trappers and hunters to sell their fox pelts; it is hoped that this will bring more interest in trapping foxes from sportsmen.

Waterfowl
G&F: What's your assessment of the state's waterfowl numbers?

Emory: We're still having problems with the resident Canada and snow geese populations, mainly because there are so many places where there is no hunting. One problem is that because the state is a major stopover on the flyway, hunters get only the first two weeks of September for hunting the resident geese (a 15-bird daily bag limit) before the migratory birds start arriving (and a two-birds daily limit goes into effect).

The migratory season runs from Nov. 19 through Dec. 1 and from Dec. 14 through Jan. 21.

The snow geese season runs from Oct. 15 through Nov. 8 and again from Nov. 19 through Jan. 26.

G&F: How are the state's duck numbers doing?

Emory: Mallards are the No. 1 small duck; however, the state has a sizable black duck population in the marshes along the coastal areas.

G&F: How do you think the price of gas will affect hunters?

Emory: Because Delaware is a small state, hunters don't have as far to travel to hunt. So more than likely, it will have less of an effect than on sportsmen who live in larger states.M

MARYLAND
Paul Peditto, director of the Wildlife & Heritage Service in Maryland was not available at press time.

However, Pete Jayne, chief of the Wildlife Bureau, gave us the scoop on the state's wildlife populations.

White-Tailed Deer G&F: What is the current size and health of the state's deer herd?

Jayne: The estimated size of the herd is 235,000 whitetails and some 5,000 to 7,500 sika deer.

There haven't been any problems with Chronic Wasting Disease. The largest concentrations of deer are in the eastern part of the state along the Interstate 95 corridor. There are about 121,000 hunters in the state, of which about 22,000 -- or about 18 percent -- are out-of-state hunters.

About 67,000 hunt for deer. In recent years, the number of out-of-state hunters has been increasing.

G&F: Have there been any changes in the deer regulations?

Jayne: The seasons and bag limits will stay the same for the near future.