Deer Hunters Conclude Successful Two-Week Firearm Season
Preliminary Harvest Numbers Similar to Last Year

---

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Preliminary data indicate that Maryland deer hunters checked in 44,805 deer during the recent two-week firearm season, a slight increase of one percent over the official harvest of 44,313 deer last year. The antlered harvest of 16,018 deer (439 sika deer) represented a slight decrease compared to the 16,153 antlered deer (425 sika deer) taken last year. The 2007 antlerless harvest of 28,787 deer (492 sika deer) represented a two percent increase over the 28,160 deer (487 sika deer) taken in 2006.
 
“Despite a slow start during the early segments of the deer hunting seasons, overall harvest numbers for the two-week firearm season were where we expected them to be,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Deer Project Leader Brian Eyler. “The antlered deer harvest has been relatively stable for the last five to six years.  The antlerless deer harvest continues to exceed the antlered deer harvest, suggesting that our Deer Management Plan is working and we have a stable deer population in many parts of the state.”
 
The two-week firearm harvest in Region A (Garrett and Allegany Counties) of 4,581 deer was down one percent compared to last year’s official harvest of 4,637 deer. The Region A antlered harvest increased five percent from 2,750 deer last year to 2,897 deer this year, while the antlerless harvest decreased 11 percent from 1,887 deer last year to 1,684 deer this year.
 
In Region B, the two-week firearm harvest increased one percent from 39,676 deer last year to 40,224 deer this year. The antlered harvest decreased from 13,403 deer last year to 13,121 this year (-2 percent), while the antlerless harvest increased from 26,273 to 27,103 deer this year (+3 percent).
 
Junior firearm hunters enjoyed good hunting weather during the designated junior deer hunt and bagged 2,167 deer, a 20 percent increase over the official harvest of 1,797 deer last year. Junior hunters harvested 1,207 antlered deer and 960 antlerless deer this year compared to 1,030 antlered deer and 767 antlerless deer last year.
 
Junior hunters may obtain an official DNR junior hunter certificate for deer that they harvest this year. The certificates are available from participating retail agents. Junior hunters can also have their picture posted on the DNR website by visiting www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/Junior_Hunters/md_jr_hunter.asp.
 
Maryland’s two-week late muzzleloader season opened Saturday, December 15 and will run through Saturday, December 29.

 

Maryland Junior Hunt (11/10/07) And 2 Week Firearm (11/24 - 12/08/07) Preliminary Deer Harvest Numbers
	Junior Hunt				2 Week Firearm
County	Antlered	Antlerless	Total		Antlered	Antlerless	Total
Allegany	73	62	135		1,396	819	2,215
Anne Arundel	14	14	28		324	729	1,053
Baltimore	41	21	62		536	1,348	1,884
Calvert	14	8	22		241	521	762
Caroline	25	20	45		422	941	1,363
Carroll	74	49	123		854	1,642	2,496
Cecil	36	21	57		458	968	1,426
Charles	40	25	65		700	1,145	1,845
Dorchester
whitetail	60	42	102		537	1,257	1,794
sika	9	9	18		407	460	867
Frederick	114	60	174		1,311	2,401	3,712
Garrett	141	99	240		1,501	865	2,366
Harford	25	16	41		384	911	1,295
Howard	16	14	30		233	493	726
Kent	38	29	67		505	1,126	1,631
Montgomery	41	62	103		440	1,165	1,605
Prince George's	13	18	31		325	632	957
Queen Anne's	37	29	66		574	1,302	1,876
Somerset
whitetail	53	57	110		513	1,289	1,802
sika	0	0	0		0	1	1
St. Mary's	21	27	48		483	976	1,459
Talbot	25	23	48		448	1,182	1,630
Washington	140	94	234		1,780	2,982	4,762
Wicomico
whitetail	73	71	144		698	1,394	2,092
sika	1	0	1		15	9	24
Worcester
whitetail	83	90	173		916	2,207	3,123
sika	0	0	0		17	22	39
Total	1,207	960	2,167		16,018	28,787	44,805

---

December 17, 20077

Contact: Olivia Campbell 410-260-8016 office I 410-507-7525 cell ocampbell@dnr.state.md.us

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov