Archery Hunt Scheduled For Assateague Island State Park Beginning Monday, November 13th

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service (WHS) announced today the opening of acreage to archery hunting at Assateague Island State Park (AISP) beginning Monday, November 13.

Public comments, collected over a three-week period, yielded variable viewpoints. The majority of citizens endorsed the archery hunting program as an effort to address the management problems associated with deer, including damage to native vegetation and aggressive deer behavior in the camping areas.

“Implementing this hunting program will help us reverse the negative trends associated with this deer population,” said Paul A. Peditto Director, Wildlife and Heritage Service. “It will help to balance the population of deer within its habitat so that impacted rare and native plants may continue to be part of this unique ecosystem. We hope it will also reduce the number of deer-human interactions in, and around, the campgrounds.”

The final hunting program will be slightly modified from the proposal based upon the input received during the public comment period. A small buffer will be created between some of the multi-use roadways and the hunting areas, and a temporary phone-in reservation system will be used to award some of the daily slots during the first two weeks of the hunt.

The archery season for AISP will begin on November 13, 2006 and end on January 31, 2007. Hunters wishing to scout the park prior to the start of the archery hunt may do so beginning November 6. Hunters must comply with the deer bag limit for Region B and possess a current Maryland Hunting License and Bow Stamp.

There will be ten hunters permitted each day, with two areas reserved for disabled hunters possessing a DNR Hunt from a Vehicle permit. Access to the hunting areas will be granted on a first come, first served basis, by recording your name and associated information on the sign-in board, which will be located in the Day Use parking lot. Hunters will sign in to use one of the ten numbered parking spots spread throughout the park. Vehicles must be left at the appropriate parking spot reserved on the sign-in sheet, and hunters may then hunt the adjacent zone of the park as indicated on the map.

Temporary Reservation System: For the first two weeks of the hunting program (November 13 – November 24, 2006), one-half of daily hunting spots may be reserved through a phone-in reservation system. The remaining allotment of daily hunting slots will be available through the first come, first served sign-in sheet as described above.

The phone-in reservation system will be operated on Monday and Wednesday mornings, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. only, beginning Monday, November 6. Hunters wishing to reserve a daily hunting slot must call 410-641-3550 during these hours. Reservations will be available on a first come first served bases. All other reservations will be made through the daily sign-in process described above.

For more information about the archery hunting program at Assateague Island State Park, please visit the DNR website at www.dnr.state.md.us or contact:

Assateague Island State Park 7307 Stephen Decatur Highway Berlin, Maryland 21811 (410) 641-2120

Wellington Wildlife Management Area 32733 Dublin Road Princess Anne, Maryland 21853  (410) 543-8223