Firearm White-Tailed
Deer Season Opens For 21 Maryland Counties
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland’s Firearm Deer Season reopens on
January 6 – 7, 2006 in Deer Management Region B. The firearm season is
closed in Deer Management Region A (Allegany and Garrett counties). The
sika deer firearm season is also closed. This Friday and Saturday deer
season provides additional opportunities for landowners to manage deer
numbers through deer hunting. Hunters use this opportunity to restock the
freezer with venison for the family dinner table.
The bag limit for the two days is a continuation of the Region B Total
Firearm White-tailed Deer Season Bag Limit. A total of two antlered deer
and ten antlerless deer may be taken during the entire Region B firearm
season (Youth Day, 2-week season, two-day January season). Two antlerless
deer must be taken before a second antlered deer is pursued.
During last year’s two-day firearm season 3,143 deer were taken in 21
Maryland counties. Antlerless deer comprised 80% of the two-day hunt. The
top ten Maryland counties for last season’s two-day January firearm season
were as follows: Washington (482); Frederick (287); Worcester (198); Queen
Anne’s (197); Carroll (169); Baltimore (167); Montgomery (164); Kent
(156); Somerset (154); Cecil (136).
Successful Maryland deer hunters will register their deer by calling
1-888-800-0121 or through the internet www.gamecheck.dnr.state.md.us.
Hunters must immediately attach a completed Field Tag on the deer’s head
and record the harvest on their Maryland Big Game Harvest Record portion
of their hunting license before moving the deer from place of harvest.
Both forms must be completed in ink. Hunters will receive a confirmation
number to be recorded on the Big Game Harvest Record. Detailed
instructions for this process are located on pages 28 – 29 of the
2005-2006 Guide to Hunting & Trapping in Maryland.
For more information about Maryland’s deer hunting regulations, consult
DNR’s “Hunting and Trapping In Maryland 2005-2006”. This publication is
issued when a hunter purchases a 2005 - 2006 hunting license. The
publication may be found on DNR’s website at
www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide.