For culling, food security, firearm deer hunting in Md. returns this weekend – WTOP News

For Maryland hunters utilizing firearms, deer looking season resumes this weekend in most components of the state.

In a information launch, Maryland’s Division of Pure Sources mentioned looking season will likely be open Jan. 6-7  in “Deer Administration Area B,” which incorporates all however the westernmost counties within the state.

Hunters within the state with a sound license will likely be allowed to make use of firearms to reap sika and white-tailed deer for meals throughout this season.

“Past placing an additional deer within the freezer, the harvest favors antlerless deer this time of yr and contributes to the administration of a wholesome deer inhabitants in Area B,” mentioned Paul Peditto, director for DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service.

Along with serving to cull the state’s deer inhabitants, collaborating hunters can obtain a state tax credit score in the event that they donate the deer carcass to charity.

Teams like Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry assist facilitate the processing of donated carcasses to assist preserve native meals pantries full.

“A whole lot of hunters don’t notice this, however in about 40 completely different states, they’ve the chance to donate a deer — a legally harvested and tagged and field-dressed deer — to a collaborating butcher store,” mentioned Josh Wilson, the group’s govt director.

Searching is prolonged to Jan. 8 for personal and designated public properties in Cecil and St. Mary’s counties, in addition to non-public properties in Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Washington (Zone 1) and Worcester counties.

For these in Kent and Montgomery counties, taking pictures hours finish at 10:30 a.m.

The DNR mentioned the earlier firearm looking season that ended on Dec. 10 resulted in 29,124 deer being harvested, which was a ten% improve from the earlier yr.

As beforehand, hunters may have an ‘antler-point restriction’, which implies hunters might solely harvest one white-tailed deer that has lower than three factors on one antler throughout the yearly bag restrict.

Licensed junior hunters and apprentice license holders, 16 years of age or youthful, are exempt from this restriction, in line with the Division of Pure Sources.

For extra data, together with bag limits, security and different rules, go to DNR’s 2022-2023 Maryland Information to Searching and Trapping.

WTOP’s Valerie Bonk and John Domen contributed to this story.

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