Maryland’s Deer Firearm Season Opens with 7% Increase in Harvest
Cooler weather prevails in opening weekend of two-week hunt
Sika deer in the marsh, photo by Earl Blansfield, submitted to Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
Hunters reported harvesting 10,864 deer on the opening weekend of the 2023 Maryland firearm season from Nov. 25-26, according to data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The overall deer harvest was 7% higher than last year’s official opening weekend harvest of 10,159 deer.
The harvest total included 5,617 antlered and 4,880 antlerless white-tailed deer, and 193 antlered and 174 antlerless sika deer. The two-week deer firearm season runs through Dec. 9.
“Cooler temperatures prevailed for the firearm season opener and hunters took advantage of the cooler weather to put additional venison in the freezer,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer said. “Firearms season remains our most popular deer season and is vital to managing the state’s healthy deer population. There is still plenty of great hunting left in the season and is a great opportunity to mentor a new hunter.”
Hunters harvested 2,293 deer on the Sunday of the opening weekend. The Sunday harvest represented more than 20% of the total for the two days, despite not being open in all counties.
Hunters in Region A, which includes Allegany, Garrett, and western Washington counties, harvested 1,323 antlered deer, a 16% increase. Hunters in Region B, comprising the rest of the state, harvested 4,487 antlered and 5,054 antlerless deer. The antlered harvest was up 9% while the antlerless harvest increased 4% from last year in the region.
Junior hunters harvested 2,225 deer during the Junior Deer Hunt Days Nov. 11-12. The harvest was 8% higher than the official harvest of 2,063 last year. Juniors registered 1,531 antlered and 694 antlerless deer.
Unofficial results by county are as follows:
County
Junior Hunt,
Nov. 11-12, 2023
Opening Weekend Firearm Season,
Nov. 25-26, 2023
Saturday
Sunday
Weekend
Total
Antlered
Antlerless
Junior
Total
Antlered
Antlerless
Total
Antlered
Antlerless
Total
Allegany
150
29
179
333
0
333
87
0
87
420
Anne Arundel
11
2
13
72
68
140
15
19
34
174
Baltimore
30
11
41
177
213
390
*
*
*
390
Calvert
16
10
26
57
94
151
14
17
31
182
Caroline
32
39
71
146
222
368
29
58
87
455
Carroll
121
63
184
467
467
934
122
137
259
1,193
Cecil
40
24
64
138
165
303
34
40
74
377
Charles
43
20
63
119
131
250
35
32
67
317
Dorchester
whitetail
39
17
56
124
136
260
22
44
66
326
sika
18
14
32
114
92
206
46
62
108
314
Frederick
195
82
277
553
462
1015
123
152
275
1,290
Garrett
276
92
368
544
0
544
179
0
179
723
Harford
22
15
37
128
172
300
30
49
79
379
Howard
12
10
22
70
95
165
*
*
*
165
Kent
50
26
76
189
216
405
50
81
131
536
Montgomery
44
30
74
132
139
271
23
26
49
320
Prince George’s
7
8
15
66
65
131
*
*
*
131
Queen Anne’s
45
17
62
163
242
405
39
60
99
504
Somerset
whitetail
35
19
54
99
117
216
44
50
94
310
sika
0
0
0
3
0
3
0
0
0
3
St. Mary’s
27
22
49
82
110
192
13
36
49
241
Talbot
28
20
48
107
157
264
33
36
69
333
Washington
143
52
195
420
195
615
123
58
181
796
Wicomico
whitetail
81
34
115
131
173
304
49
86
135
439
sika
3
0
3
19
12
31
7
4
11
42
Worcester
whitetail
63
38
101
175
192
367
61
68
129
496
sika
0
0
0
4
4
8
0
0
0
8
Total
1,531
694
2,225
4,632
3,939
8,571
1,178
1,115
2,293
10,864
*Sunday hunting not permitted.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings