Managed Deer Hunting Programs FAQs
The following FAQ’s pertain to managed deer hunting programming in general.
State law expressly provides for the lawful hunting of deer within the state (including archery, firearms, and muzzleloader). The Maryland General Assembly legally established specific seasons for this activity, which is set and announced annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Licensed hunters of the State must adhere to all laws and regulations established by the Department of Natural Resources for hunting.
Managed deer hunting is a controlled deer hunting effort permitting qualified, recreational hunter participants to use certain legal firearms and/or archery (compound bows/crossbows), for the purpose of reducing and/or maintaining deer numbers on parklands to the benefit of natural ecosystems, local farmers, citizen landscapes, reducing Deer Vehicle Collisions (DVC’s) and an overall reduction of deer-human conflict.
A complete deer population management schedule of programs and locations is announced and posted at the end of the summer, annually.
Archery managed hunting begins in September and occurs through January, annually. Hunting activities are permitted to occur daily, excluding Sundays.
Firearms scheduled managed hunting dates begin in October and occur on specified dates through January (no Sundays).
Hunting hours are in accordance with State hunting regulation from ½ hour prior to legal sunrise to ½ hour following legal sunset.
Firearms-based managed hunting includes public closure of specified parks for 24 hours on the scheduled/announced days of the hunts. These closures are out of an abundance of caution, though strict practices are in place to ensure public safety.
Archery managed deer hunting does not impact use of parks by the public. There is no closure associated with archery hunting efforts. Archery hunting is a safe, low-impact activity. Allowing for parks to remain open to typical public access is common practice in archery hunting areas across the region.
Lottery-based Managed Deer Hunting simply means that hunters, who have applied and meet the M-NCPPC qualifications for participation, are drawn at random for hunting dates and sites for which they have applied. This ensures a fair system for all participants.
All Lottery-based Managed Deer Hunting participants must complete a written Pre-screening Managed Hunt Packet delineating safety measures, personal hunting experience and success, and ability to understand and follow direction. Pre-Screening Packet of information can be made available by request to Wildlife Staff. As part of the pre-screening, participants must register for a background check (fee applies) to ensure that they do not have a history of criminal or Natural Resources violations. If the questionnaire and background check are acceptable, the applicant may be approved to participate in the hunt lottery. If selected, prior to attending their hunting assignment, the hunter must present: his/her Photo I.D., Hunter Safety Card, Bow Hunter Education Card (where applicable), current MD Hunting License, and current State Shooter Qualification Card demonstrating his/her proficiency with the firearm they plan to use for the hunting program. Archery hunters are also required to meet Departmental shooting qualifications as specified at the time of selection. Only then will the hunter be permitted to participate in the field.
New applicants can download the Lottery Based Managed Hunt Pre-Screening Packet to apply. The deadline for new Pre-screening Managed Hunt applicants is the first Friday in June, annually.
For the purpose of group-based Managed Deer Hunting, only qualified participants are permitted to hunt. If you are a member of an organized hunting group, or you would like to form an organized hunting group, please contact Wildlife Staff to learn how to become involved. If/when expansions occur and/or it is necessary and appropriate, qualified hunting groups will be contacted directly with information pertaining to new expansions or other projects.
There are some properties where it is not practical or feasible to conduct lottery-style managed hunting for reasons such as access, limited acreage, other site constraints, fiscal requirements or other management implications. Additionally, staff is limited and must prioritize time commitment to areas where public safety, park use, and other issues are greatest. In areas not open to individual, public participation, specially qualified deer management groups are utilized to conduct similar, professional style hunts with limited supervision from staff. These groups meet strict requirements for safety, operation, and harvest, and are assigned through the Cooperative Managed Deer Hunting Program. New and/or forming groups are encouraged to contact Montgomery Parks Deer Management staff to learn of potential upcoming opportunities and to best prepare to become qualified cooperators.
Montgomery Parks utilizes experienced, qualified, and proficient hunters that are carefully screened and selected. All individuals participating in Cooperative Managed Hunting (Group-based) are required to: demonstrate having completed both a State Hunter Education/Safety Course and a State or National (NBEF) Bow Hunter Education/Safety Course (where applicable), a history of hunting experience and record of success, current shooting proficiency under the standards and guidelines set forth by the Department of Parks and undergo a criminal background investigation.
Safety is the number one priority for all deer population management programming. Hunting occurs under strict guidelines in accordance with state and local regulations pertaining to archery deer hunting, and within designated area(s) of the park. Participants are required to park in designated areas and hunt from a stationary, elevated tree stand. Shooting is restricted to distances within 30 yards, and not from, onto, or across marked trails. Discrete participation/activity is advised, and deer are covered during the process of removal from designated hunting areas. NOTE: Parks remain open to normal, everyday use by the public.
Archery managed parks remain open in order to minimize disturbance to public use and enjoyment of our parks, while safely providing flexible opportunity for screened and qualified participants to access select parks to discretely manage deer while hunting under strict guidelines. Given the discreet nature of the activity, a long-standing record of safety and low-impact coexistence of archery hunting with other land uses in Montgomery Parks and across the region, and the desire to minimize disturbance to public use, these parks remain open.
While responsible vigilance by park users is always encouraged, there is no additional cause for concern regarding personal safety to people or pets. Archery hunting is inherently safe, quiet, and discrete. Interactions between hunter participants and the public do occasionally occur, but most typically pertaining to ingress and egress of the parks.
No. Since inception, Parks’ managed hunting programs have been strictly monitored, and safety has remained paramount throughout. To date there have been no injuries to members of the public, and no serious injuries to hunting participants. M-NCPPC makes it abundantly clear that safety is the #1 priority and that there is a zero tolerance level for any behavior that could result in serious, negligent injury.
Montgomery Parks is committed to prioritizing public safety in its deer management efforts. While we always encourage responsible vigilance by residents and park users, there is no additional cause for concern regarding personal safety.
Regarding firearms-based programming, park closures should be noted and followed. These closures are intended to enhance existing safety measures.
Concerning archery-based programming, there is no associated park closure. It is important to note that non-participant injuries resulting from archery managed hunting activities have not occurred within Montgomery Parks. Archery managed hunting practices serve to increase safety measures and accountability. Similar archery programs occur throughout Maryland, including within Montgomery County, and no personal injury to non-hunting participants have been reported.
Through selection and training of hunting participants, the Department of Parks is committed to making every effort to reduce the probability of wounding loss. The goal of every managed hunting program is to experience no wounding loss. With that in mind, the Department recognizes that perfection is unlikely. As such, it is possible that wounding loss will occur at some level. To date Montgomery Parks Archery Managed Hunting has experienced a wounding loss rate of 0.0% – 7.7% annually.
NOTE: Montgomery Parks only allows use of modern, compound vertical bows and modern crossbows. The evolution/improvement of archery equipment is continual. Advancement in technology has increased hunters’ ability to achieve accurate shot placement. Required use of modern equipment, along with training, qualification, regulations, and guidelines have been established for participating hunters in order to maximize and perpetuate hunting/shooting proficiency and ethics.
Deer harvested in the managed deer hunting programs are the responsibility of the participating hunter and/or hunting group. Some hunters choose to utilize the meat for their own family, while others may donate the meat to friends, family, churches, or through charitable organizations such as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH). It is required that every deer removed through managed hunting be utilized by the hunter and/or be donated for use by those in need.
There are many means researched and/or practiced which are intended to reduce deer human conflicts that are showing varying levels of success. Depending on land uses, various methods can be employed such as: exclusionary fencing, chemical repellents, noise repellents, reflectors, other visual repellents, surgical sterilization, immunocontraception and so on. Some of these methods can be effective at least some of the time and to varying degrees. However, there are often limiting factors such as local restrictions placed on landowners in terms of types of fencing or repellents used, overall cost to landowners and labor intensity, etc. Overall, the only method proven to be effective and efficient on a broad landscape scale that is experiencing exorbitantly high deer populations, is lethal deer management. Simply stated, when deer numbers are reduced, so too is the likelihood for conflicts.
Non-lethal approaches to managing deer populations have been suggested by some as potential tools to be utilized in an effort to reduce deer impacts. The Department of Parks continues to monitor non-lethal management research, nationally and locally. However, it has been determined that current materials and methods included in immunocontraception and surgical sterilization efforts, are not suitable for use as a means to directly reduce deer numbers on the large scale, widespread and high deer density park areas of Montgomery County. While we remain open to the possibility of one day employing the use of non-lethal methods for managing deer populations, we recognize that current limitations and constraints will not allow for practical, cost effective, and sustainable management using these tools as they exist at present.
No, Howard County and Anne Arundel County conduct Managed Deer Hunting. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) and the Maryland DNR also run managed hunting operations on various Reservoir and State Park lands in nearby counties. Managed hunting programs (public and private) are becoming increasingly common in similar urban/suburban areas throughout the country. There are also a variety of public lands across the state, including here in Montgomery County, that are open to deer hunting during the State’s general, regulated hunting seasons.
By reading this, you are taking the first step in learning about what is taking place! M-NCPPC encourages all citizens to let their voice be heard. Simply call or write to your local, county and state officials and express your concerns. Your voice is important whether you are in support of current management practices, would like to request added programming efforts, or oppose current management.
Questions or comments regarding deer management programming may also be directed to Parks Information & Customer Service Office 301-495-2595 or email Info@montgomeryparks.org and or online at Montgomery Parks Customer Service. Please include your full name and address to allow for record keeping and response as appropriate.
If you are interested in participating in the Lottery-based Managed Deer Hunting Program, pre-screening procedures must be followed. New applicants can download the pre-screening application. Further questions may be directed to Wildlife Staff by Wildlife Staff 301-962-1352 or email Wildlife Staff.
Park Police-based Sharpshooting FAQs
The Park Police-based Sharpshooting Program is conducted at night by highly trained and certified Park Police sharpshooters, in cooperation with parks wildlife ecologists, under stringent guidelines, from mid-January – March 31, annually. Affected parks, including all trails, are closed from sunset – sunrise, daily, as per Park Regulations. Programming is intended to effectively and efficiently remove deer from areas that are not, or not yet, conducive to hunting.
A sharpshooter, in terms of Montgomery Parks deer management, is a highly trained Park Police officer capable of lethally removing significant numbers of deer, in a humane manner, using specialized equipment (including noise suppressed rifles) over a short period of time and under conditions not suitable to hunting (i.e. under the cover of darkness and in areas that experience high levels of daytime use, etc.).
First and foremost, please remember that the affected parks are closed from sunset to sunrise, daily as per Park Regulations (access points are also marked with yellow “Public Notice” signs). Please be sure to leave the parks by sunset. If you hear shots or see what you believe to be Park Police in action, but you are not certain or are uncomfortable, please feel free to call Park Police at 301-949-8010 to confirm. If the activity you witness is not affiliated with Park Police operations, appropriate police response will be enacted.
All deer are removed discretely, transported to a processing location, and the meat is donated to local food disbursement organizations via the Capital Area Food Bank. To date, over 399,000 lbs of meat have been donated by Montgomery Parks!
Yes. Many residents are seeing a difference in the amount of damage to landscaping and agricultural crops, DVC’s have been shown to decrease in the areas surrounding operational sites, and improved forest regeneration is has become evident in and around the parks where operations have been underway for several seasons.
Non-lethal approaches to managing deer populations have been suggested by some as potential tools to be utilized in an effort to reduce deer impacts. The Department of Parks continues to monitor non-lethal management research, nationally and locally. However, it has been determined that current materials and methods included in immunocontraception and surgical sterilization efforts, are not suitable for use as a means to directly reduce deer numbers on the large scale, widespread and high deer density park areas of Montgomery County. While we remain open to the possibility of one day employing the use of non-lethal methods for managing deer populations, we recognize that current limitations and constraints will not allow for practical, cost effective, and sustainable management using these tools as they exist at present.
By reading this, you are taking the first step in learning about what is taking place! M-NCPPC encourages all citizens to let their voice be heard. Simply call or write to your local, county and state officials and express your concerns. Your voice is important whether you are in support of current management practices, would like to request added programming efforts, or oppose current management.
Questions or comments regarding deer management programming may also be directed to Parks Customer Service 301-495-2595 or email Info@montgomeryparks.org and or online at Montgomery Parks Customer Service . Please include your full name and address to allow for record keeping and response as appropriate.
Guidelines for Deer Retrieval by Adjacent Private Land Hunters
There is a mechanism for private land hunters to legally retrieve harvested deer from Montgomery Parks lands. However, there are steps that must be followed. For detailed guidance, please see Guidelines for Hunters Retrieving Deer from M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks Parkland.