Delmar Waterfowl Club - Maryland Whitetail/Sika Deer Hunting and Delaware Deer Hunting

Delaware Deer Hunting and Maryland Deer Hunting:

Basically, we have a few rules to ensure the safety and equal use of club property. The scheduling forum and reporting format are the best tools to ensure fair use of the property. The system is open for all members to reserve any stand on the property. We don't deer hunt as a group. Each member is free to hunt any area he/she desires. We have approximately 135 deer hunting sections, all with quality loc-on, ladder and box stands. We typically maintain a ratio of two deer hunting sections per member and the sections are considered quite large.

Our first and most important rule is that everyone be a safe hunter. It's written in stone. This comes first and is one of few reasons that any member might ever be removed from the club. If a member shows himself to be an unsafe hunter, he will be asked to leave. Secondly, all hunting must be done in a manner consistent with state law. We just do not allow anyone to pursue illegal hunting practices. And finally, no member or guest is to ever do anything that is detrimental to the land or to act in any way that is offensive to any members of the families that reside on the farms we lease. To violate this policy could cause all of us to loose one or more of our leases and we will not tolerate any member or guest risking that.

Archery 3-D course:

DelMar Waterfowl has a large membership consisting of many hunters who enjoy using a variety of weapons to pursue their favorite game. Many of our hunters choose archery gear and for them, we have created a 3d archery range on our clubhouse property.

The range is located on the back side of the Rouse farm reminiscent of your favorite hunting spot. Several lanes have been creatively cut into the woods with many different 3d targets at varying distances found in each lane. You might find yourself up against a standing Black Bear, a strutting Turkey or a feeding Whitetail Buck. Several different animals challenge any skill level and will be the most fun you’ll have without the need to drag the animal to the butcher when you’re finished!

Please enjoy the range as much as possible and take good care of the targets so we can enjoy them for seasons to come. Click here for photos

Scheduling a Deer Hunt:

All hunting dates must be scheduled in advance. However, the property must first be opened on the scheduling forum. The member must pick morning, evening or both. This applies to bow, muzzleloader, shotgun and rifle. No one can select a day more than five days in advance; since it may be necessary to close the property on a chosen day for many reasons. All scouting must be scheduled just like a hunt because we want to let owners know when we are accessing the properties in the off season..

For all dates that are scheduled on the forum, a complete report must be prepared within 24 hours if a deer was taken. This should be done on the same reservation post. We do not require anyone to report what they saw. It’s been our experience that these types of report can be less than reliable.

Walk-in Rules

The club tries to select 20 percent of the stands for walk-in locations. Many of the members hunt both waterfowl and deer. We like to keep the flexibility of setting up for a deer hunt any time of the day after a hunt. These stand locations are designated a walk-in spot’s and no advanced reservation is required. For firearm season openers we close walk-ins for the lottery and this is always promptly posted on the deer hunters chat forum.

For the upcoming year, the club has constructed check in boxes for every farm. Members can now check in for walk-in stands and reserved locations.

How we hunt:

I'm not going to go into details about the hunting methods we use, you can read magazines with writers that are much better than me at telling you how to hunt, but I will say that we use various techniques in pursuit of deer. We practice Quality Deer Management because we believe the greatest achievement in hunting is the harvest of a mature Whitetail buck. Once a buck is harvested he will mature no more, thus taking a buck before maturity is adverse to the sport.

We also do not permit deer hunting with dogs and do not take deer smaller than sixty five pounds are not to be harvested.

Harvest Policies:

All deer harvested must be photographed with a digital camera and posted on the site. Also, each animal harvested must be reported to the Deer Hunting Manger to be recorded in the harvest logbook. If a deer is dressed in camp entrails will not be left in camp and must be removed.

Tree Stands

Elevated stands provide an advantage in outwitting whitetails in some situations. Unfortunately tree stand injuries are our sport's number one injury, which usually results in serious injury, paralysis or death. Please properly maintain your equipment, climb healthy trees and most of all wear an approved SAFETY HARNESS. Not having one on is considered a serious violation of club rules. The only casualties we want to carry out of the woods are the ones that will end up on the table.

All members must hunt from the established stands. No exceptions. A list of club stands is located in the Properties Section of the web-site and under each property category on the Scheduling Forum. Detailed maps with the property lines and stand locations are available in the shop and posted on the schedule site. All stands should be positioned facing away from the property line. Any member may place a personal stand anywhere on the lease that meets the listed qualifications. When a private stand is hung it must be at least 75 yards away from a club stand. Club management may require stand relocation when safety is a factor or the lease as a whole would benefit. (I.e. another stand can be safely placed by moving the existing stand a relatively short distance). Do not relieve yourself proximate to any stand during the season. We hunt according to stand locations in a sections on the property. Each member must reserve a stand/section in order to hunt a private stand. On
average our stands are located more than 400 yards from each other.

Deer Hunting Manager:

Andy Minch is the manager of the deer hunting. His ruling is final.

No stands may be moved unless Andy is consulted.

All broken equipment, such as a loose stand must be reported to Andy. Please try to repair it yourself before calling Andy.

Food Plots/Feeders:
Food plots, trail cameras and feeders tend to enhance the quantity and quality of deer on the lease. Do not tamper with the feeders or the trail cameras without consulting Andy beforehand.

Guest Policy:
The guest policy is stated in the general rules section of the site. No guests will be permitted during any portion of the gun season. Guest are permitted during the bow season for a fee of $100 a day/hunt and must be accompanied by the member. No guests are permitted on any opening days and holidays.

Anyone bringing a youth hunter must follow Maryland’s and Delaware’s laws.

Uncle Mike’s Farm:

Anyone hunting Uncle Mike’s farm must also sign-in at the box located behind the main gate. We split the deer hunting on this property and the owner must know our location. All of the farms are under QDM rules and a minimum 15” rack (6 points) is required for all farms. However, for Uncle Mike’s farm, bucks may only be taken in excess of an 18 inch spread (generally 8 points or better with a rack outside the ears).

Other Information

No deer drives are permitted.

Lotteries will be held for opening days of muzzle loader season and/or shot gun season. The deer hunting manager or his designee may choose to waive the lottery and assign locations if demand is minimal. In order to make this determination, the deer hunting manager may need to obtain a count of the expected members. Please respond via the internet as soon as possible.

There are three work days required to complete preparations for the waterfowl season. Anyone primarily hunting deer, should participate in at least three additional deer hunting work days. During the season, the regular deer hunters will be asked to perform short additional tasks, such as refilling a feeder. There is a considerable amount of deer hunting locations and stands spread among a relatively small number of deer hunters.

Please communicate to share the stands and self-regulate the use of any particular location.

The Club Concept:

Here's a listing of what's considered "good club member" characteristics for deer hunting at DelMar:

1) Making good efforts at setting up and maintaining hunting area.
2) Being outdoors savvy.
3) Contributing toward the club’s program, being responsible for providing complete records on deer taken, and exercising good judgment on taking a buck.
4) Being respectful of wildlife and making good effort to locate animals that are shot.
5) Attending the hunting club meetings, communicating regularly with the deer hunting manager, and answering emails within a reasonable time period.
6) Maintaining good relations and being considerate of others, putting safety first, and helping out on club member projects.
7) Willingness to lend ideas, give feedback, help solve problems, and responding when ideas are asked for.
8) Helping keep the lodge area picked-up and maintained, not leaving stuff in the shop and barn that should be taken home, and making repairs when something has been broken.
9) Making fee payments on time.
10) Adhering to all the club member policies.

Although the doe harvest is important to our overall deer management program, no one is required to take a doe, although you're encouraged to do so to help out.

DELMAR WATERFOWL CLUB DEER HUNTING RULES 06/07
QDM on all farms Maryland and Delaware

A quality buck must have an antlers spread of at least a 15" inside spread and have six-points or better or truly an exceptional buck with a distinct characteristic. Uncle Mike’s must remain 18" inside spread, eight points or better due to the owner’s rule. BE VERY SURE BEFORE TAKING A DEER ON THIS FARM. Your second buck must be larger/ better in antler mass, tine length, overall size or points then your first. (Maryland for each weapon first buck is QDM and the next buck is better then the previous.
If you shoot a non-quality buck, you lose the right to take a buck for the rest of the season. The penalty at Mikes will be farm more severe. Youth hunters are exempt from the QDM program rules for their first buck. Their second buck is a QDM buck. (Maryland for each weapon)

Schedule
Hunts must be scheduled on the white forum, except for walk-in stands. Walking stands will be identified before The season begins. When scheduling a hunt on the white forum specify all day hunt, morning or evening hunt. Members can book both at the same time. We don’t allow one hunter to schedule the same stand more then 3 days in a row, unless another hunter does not schedule for that stand. Schedule a morning hunt by 10 pm the evening before and 12 noon for an afternoon hunt.
Hunts cannot be scheduled more then 5 days in advance. We ask that everyone use courtesy with times entering and leaving their stands. Scouting must be scheduled like a hunting day. Our leases start September 1st and run until April 1st. Guest are permitted during the bow season for a fee of $100 a day/hunt and must be accompanied by the member. No guests are permitted on any opening days and holidays. The guest fee is $100 a day, regardless of how many hours are hunted.

Stands
The club stands should be locked and properly secured. If you notice equipment in need of repairs please make a good effort to repair it yourself and report it to the deer-hunting manager. Any equipment that can’t be repaired notifies the deer manager and/or post the problem on the web to notify other members. Club stands locations will be numbered from left to right on the properties for identification purposes for booking and the pegboard tag in. Personal stands locations must be reported to and approved by the deer-hunting manager with a detailed description of the stands location. That is only if the stand is staying in the field. Also note if the stand is for club members to use or it is a personal private. When hunting from a stand other then a club stands or designated stand location you must remain 25 yards from the designated area and 75 yards boundary lines. This also applies to ground blinds/hunting from the ground. If you are not hunting in the designated stand location we ask that you contact the member in the area next to you so that they don’t hunt the same edge of the bordering sections and interfere, unless both members agree The number of hunters on a property at any given time shall not exceed the number of stands on that property. Expect if a youth hunter accompanies a club member hunting. Deer hunters are required to have a dog tag style identification tag to sign in and out on the pegboards. Members are to park in the designated parking locations at each property with no exceptions.
Club stands can be moved if a better location in the area has been determined from field observations and discussed with the deer-hunting manager. ATVs can be used on the farms for recovery purposes only.

Walk-in stand locations
Hunter must tag him or herself in on the pegboards. No one is allowed to tag another hunter in on the pegboard for a walk-in stand. Your tag must be removed each time you leave the property. A lottery will be held for the opening day of each gun season (shotgun, muzzleloader and rifle) in both Maryland and Delaware 3 to 4 weeks prior to the opening day. No walk-ins are available for the opening days or any day a lottery is used. But can be booked on the schedule forum within the rules should any stand locations be available after the lottery.

Reports

Deer hunters are only required to report results for kills, lost game or shot fired. Hunting reports are to be posted on the schedule forum (white page) to your reservation. The deer hunting manager and the club president will address any problems or issues.
All other Delmar Waterfowl Club rule applies. Maps will be completed before September 1st and posted on the net. Stand locations and parking areas with property boundaries will be provided on the map. Whatever happens, I will guarantee they get done. This changes right up until the season since we are still working on stand locations etc. Best way to see them early is a scheduled workday. Delmar Waterfowl Club reserves the right to change our rules to improve on our deer-hunting program.