Hiking Safely Through Winter Hunting Seasons

So you want to go hiking this winter, but you're worried about hunting? Don't let the unknown stop you! If you don't hunt, or you don't come from a background full of avid hunters, the whole hunting thing can be intimidating. You may be thinking, “Is it safe to hike during hunting season? Which hunting seasons are safest? Where might I encounter hunters? Are all lands hunted? And what’s the deal with Sunday hunting - is it allowed or not? This is all too confusing and scary. I'm not going.”

Don’t let that last thought happen to you! You can still safely hike in the winter. Let’s dive in and find out how.

First and foremost, hunting is an integral piece of Delmarva's heritage. These lands and waterways have been hunted for centuries. Hunting is also an important population control method for deer. Many hikers get frustrated that they are unable to safely hike their favorite trails during some hunting seasons, but it IS public land, and the agencies that manage these lands have an obligation to support all forms of recreation. Often a hunting season only lasts maybe 4 weeks out of the entire YEAR, allowing low-impact recreation to occur safely for the remaining 48 weeks of the year. Not a bad deal for the hikers, right? And in most cases, the funds collected from hunting permits directly support the lands you love to hike.

Hikers and hunters can coexist in some cases, but the time to definitely avoid hiking is during deer firearm seasons. These include shotgun, muzzleloader, and antlerless seasons. These usually occur for only a few weeks out of the entire year, typically falling in late fall and winter. Let’s break down the 2025-2026 seasons by state:

Delaware

Shotgun: Nov 14-23, Jan 17 - 25

Muzzleloader: Oct 10 - 19, Jan 26 - Feb 1

Antlerless: Oct 3 - 5, Oct 24 - 26, Oct 31, Dec 13 - 21

Youth Hunt Days: Sept 27 - 28, Nov 1 - 2

Delaware does allow Sunday hunting in some locations which you can view here, but the state park system is always a safe bet as Sunday hunting is not permitted in Delaware’s state parks.

For the full calendar of Delaware hunting seasons, visit the DNREC Fish & Wildlife hunting page.

Maryland (dates below are for the eastern shore of MD; western MD varies)

Shotgun: Nov 29 - Dec 13, Jan 9 - 11

Muzzleloader: Oct 16 - 18, Dec 20 - Jan 3

Antlerless: Oct 16 - 18, Oct 20-25, Dec 20 - Jan 3, Feb 2-4 

Youth Hunt Days: Nov 15 - 16

Sunday Hunting is permitted in the following areas of Maryland’s eastern shore: all of Dorchester County, C&D canal lands, Earleville WMA, Grove Farm WMA, Old Bohemia WMA, Ellis Bay WMA, Chesapeake Forest Lands, Johnson WMA, Nanticoke WMA, Wetipquin WMA, EA Vaughn WMA, Hickory Point Wildlands, Isle of Wight WMA, Pocomoke State Forest, Pocomoke WMA. 

There is no Sunday hunting in Maryland State Parks on the eastern shore.

For the full calendar of Maryland hunting seasons, visit the Maryland DNR hunting page.

Virginia (dates below are for the eastern shore of VA; western VA varies)

Shotgun/Antlerless: Nov 15 - Jan 3

Muzzleloader/Antlerless: Nov 1 - 14, Dec 13 - Jan 3

Sunday hunting is not permitted on Virginia public lands except for waterfowl on some public waterways.

For the full calendar of Virginia hunting seasons, visit the Virginia DWR hunting page.

Feeling overwhelmed by the list of dates? See all firearms seasons for Delmarva on one calendar here.

If you are just itching to get out hiking on a beautiful day but it’s during a firearms season, search our trail database and choose a trail that is very popular and heavily used. Or take note on the individual trail pages to see whether or not hunting is permitted - some national park trails and properties managed by nonprofits don't allow hunting at all. Just be aware that if hunting is not allowed on a specific property, there could be hunters nearby on adjacent lands.

Now. Not to confuse you even more, but there are even more hunting seasons besides deer hunting, such as small game, turkey, and dove seasons. These seasons usually take place in the spring and fall, but are not nearly as popular or as heavily hunted as deer seasons. But if you’re the kind of person that wants to take every precaution possible, avoid hiking state forests and state wildlife management areas during turkey seasons. The 2025-2026 turkey seasons on Delmarva are: 

Delaware Turkey Season:

April 11 - May 9 (hunting ends at 1:00pm each day)

Maryland Turkey Season:

Jan 22 - 24 (hunting all day)

April 11 - 12 (hunting all day)

April 18 - May 9 (hunting ends at 12:00pm each day)

May 10 - 23 (hunting all day)

Virginia Turkey Season:

Oct 11-12, April 4 - 5 (youth hunt days)

April 11 - 26 (hunting ends at 12:00pm each day)

April 27 - May 16 (hunting all day)

So enough about firearm seasons. Let’s talk archery and crossbow. These seasons last a lot longer, but luckily, they are way less dangerous, as the range for hunting is much smaller than firearms. We’re talking less than 100 yards and in most states, hunters are required to be at least 100 yards away from a public trail anyway. Also, many land management agencies will put up some kind of “caution, area is actively hunted” signs for the whole season to make sure they’re covering all seasons and not just firearms season, but if you know it’s not firearms season, don’t let those signs deter you from hiking your favorite trail.

If you’ve read this far and you still need more peace of mind, there’s a few other things you can do to stay safe. It never hurts to wear bright colors (blaze orange is best) to increase your visibility. Many hunters prefer to hunt just after dawn or right before dusk, so choosing to hike during the middle of the day is typically a safer option. You can also always stick to heavily-used trails. Hunters always need to be at least 100 yards from a public trail and they don’t want to be around people anyway!

Bottom line. Don’t let the unknown of hunting seasons discourage you from getting outdoors. Use the information in this article and each state’s hunting webpages as tools to help you stay educated and make smart decisions when choosing your hiking adventures this winter. Happy trails!

Pro-tip: Bookmark this page so you can refer back to it later in the season!