Deer Archery Season Opens September 15

Annapolis, Md. (September 2, 2010) —  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that archery hunting for deer opens on September 15, 2010 and will continue through January 31, 2011. Last season a total of 27,373 deer (10,047 antlered and 17,326 antlerless) were taken with archery equipment, up from 26,346 the previous hunting season.

“Archery hunting is an important and effective part of our deer management strategy,” said DNR’s Deer Project Leader Brian Eyler. “Archery hunters continue to demonstrate a willingness to harvest antlerless deer, which contributes positively to deer population management across the state.”

This year, archery hunters will be permitted to use crossbows statewide during the entire deer archery season. Any deer taken with a crossbow will count toward the hunter’s appropriate regional Bow Season bag limit. Crossbows will continue to be legal statewide for all hunters during the firearm and muzzleloader seasons.

The deer hunting regulations vary between the two Deer Management Regions in Maryland. Region A consists of Garrett and Allegany counties and, new this season, the western half of Washington County. Region B includes eastern Washington County and the remaining 20 counties. The white-tailed deer archery bag limit for Deer Management Region A is two deer, one antlered and one antlerless. Additionally, no more than two antlerless deer may be taken on public lands in Region A with any combination of the bow, muzzleloader and firearm bag limits, excluding the Junior Deer Hunt Day.

In most of Deer Management Region B, archers may take two antlered and ten antlerless white-tailed deer. However, a second antlered deer may not be harvested until two antlerless deer have been taken. Additionally, a Bonus Antlered Deer Stamp is required to take a second antlered deer. Archers in the Suburban Deer Archery Zone (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties), may take an unlimited number of antlerless deer.

Sika deer archery season is open from September 15, 2010 through January 31, 2011 in Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties. The sika deer bag remains set at two deer, but new this year, a hunter may now take one antlered and one antlerless, or two antlerless sika deer during the archery season. An antlered sika deer is defined as a deer with at least one antler visible above the hairline.

When checking in a deer taken with archery equipment, hunters should record deer taken with a straight limb bow, recurve bow or compound bow as taken with a vertical bow. Deer taken with a crossbow should be recorded as such. This will allow DNR biologists to continue to monitor the influence crossbows may have on Maryland’s deer management program.

A number of Sundays will be open to bow hunting on private land during the 2010-2011 hunting season, varying by county. For a complete listing of Sunday bow hunting opportunities, hunters may refer to the 2010-2011 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, which is issued with each hunting license and also contains detailed information about all of Maryland’s hunting seasons. Hunters may also find this information as well as complete bag limits, season dates, deer registration procedures and bow hunting regulations on the DNR website at www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million 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 11 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