This bill gives the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) new authority to authorize targeted reductions of deer where the agency documents specified “deer damage,” including on single, contiguous private properties of at least 10 acres. DNR may issue permits that allow property owners or their agents to shoot deer on Sundays as part of those reductions, subject to a narrow safety exclusion near equestrian trails.
The bill also removes the statute’s detailed, county‑by‑county schedule for Sunday hunting and directs DNR to adopt statewide regulations allowing Sunday hunting during game bird and game mammal seasons. Those regulations must — at minimum — preserve the hours and days of Sunday hunting that were in effect on June 30, 2027.
The act requires public maps of permit‑eligible areas and a stakeholder‑informed report due December 1, 2029, and it sunsets the new regulatory framework after three years unless extended by the General Assembly.
At a Glance
What It Does
Authorizes DNR to permit deer population reductions on single properties of at least 10 contiguous acres with documented deer damage, and to issue Sunday‑shooting permits to property owners or their agents. Replaces the statutory county list of Sunday hunting allowances with a DNR regulatory program that must, at minimum, match the hours/days authorized on June 30, 2027.
Who It Affects
Private landowners with deer damage (10+ contiguous acres), licensed hunters, rural counties where Sunday hunting is currently restricted or permitted, equestrian trail users (narrow buffer protection), and DNR (new mapping, permitting, regulatory and reporting duties).
Why It Matters
The bill shifts a long‑standing, detailed statutory schedule into agency rulemaking while creating a permit path for private property deer control that allows Sunday shooting in defined circumstances — a material change for land managers, hunter access, public‑safety planners, and local officials who have relied on the statutory county framework.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The bill amends Maryland’s Natural Resources Article in two linked ways: first, it creates a targeted deer‑management tool under §10‑206 that lets DNR authorize population reductions where the agency documents ‘deer damage,’ defined to include broad ecological loss (e.g., elimination of forest understory or tree regeneration) and destruction of crops or landscaping. That authority can be applied to a single, contiguous property of at least 10 acres, and DNR may issue permits to the property owner, an employee, lessee, or agent to shoot deer — including on Sundays.
The statute requires DNR to map the areas where these permits may apply and to publish those maps for public review. The bill also prohibits Sunday deer hunting under such permits within 25 yards of any DNR‑designated equestrian trail during deer firearms season.
Second, the bill overhauls the statute that currently lists county‑by‑county Sunday hunting permissions. Instead of embedding dozens of county exceptions in statute, it directs DNR to adopt regulations authorizing Sunday hunting during game bird and game mammal seasons.
Those regulations must at least authorize Sunday hunting for the same species, seasons, counties, and hours that were allowed on June 30, 2027 — effectively grandfathering the existing schedule while moving future adjustments into the agency’s rulemaking process. The change also removes the categorical statutory prohibition on Sunday hunting of migratory game birds and specifically requires that certain groups (junior hunters, senior hunters, apprentices, and full‑time students with licenses) be allowed to hunt Atlantic population Canada geese on Sundays during the open season.Operationally, the bill creates three implementer obligations for DNR: (1) issue and manage deer‑damage permits and publish maps showing permit‑eligible areas; (2) promulgate statewide Sunday‑hunting regulations that meet the June 30, 2027 minimum; and (3) compile a stakeholder‑informed report by December 1, 2029 on how the changes have affected deer management and competing uses.
The regulatory part of the bill is temporary: the statute directing DNR to adopt these regulations takes effect July 1, 2027, and expires automatically on June 30, 2030, unless the General Assembly acts further.
The Five Things You Need to Know
DNR may authorize deer reductions on a single contiguous property of at least 10 acres where the agency has documented ‘deer damage’ (broadly defined to include loss of understory or crop/landscape destruction).
A DNR‑issued deer damage permit may allow the property owner or the owner’s employee, lessee, or agent to shoot deer on the property on Sundays; permits must prohibit Sunday deer hunting within 25 yards of DNR trails designated for equestrian use during deer firearms season.
The bill replaces the statute’s detailed county‑by‑county Sunday hunting schedule with a directive that DNR adopt regulations allowing Sunday hunting; the regs must at minimum authorize the same hours and days that were in effect on June 30, 2027, by species, season, and county.
DNR must map the areas where deer‑damage permits may apply and make those maps publicly available; the agency also must include stakeholder input in a required report on the law’s effectiveness due to the General Assembly by December 1, 2029.
The regulatory scheme that centralizes Sunday‑hunting authority in DNR is time‑limited: the statute directing DNR to adopt regulations takes effect July 1, 2027, and is automatically abrogated on June 30, 2030 (three‑year pilot period).
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Deer‑damage permits for single properties of 10+ acres
This provision defines “deer damage” to include both substantial ecological harm (like loss of forest understory and tree regeneration) and damage to crops or landscaping. It authorizes DNR to reduce deer numbers on any single contiguous property of at least 10 acres where deer damage is documented and allows DNR to issue permits to the landowner or their designee to shoot deer — including on Sundays. Practically, this creates a property‑level remedy that land managers (and DNR) can use without invoking broader county‑level population control programs.
Equestrian‑trail safety exclusion (25‑yard buffer)
Any permit that authorizes Sunday deer hunting under the new subsection must prohibit deer hunting on Sundays within 25 yards of a DNR‑designated equestrian trail during deer firearms season. That is a narrowly drawn statutory safety buffer intended to reduce conflicts with mounted riders; it places an explicit constraint on how Sunday permits may be exercised and creates a spatial rule DNR must enforce when issuing permits.
From county list to agency regulation: centralized Sunday hunting authority
The bill removes the statute’s long, detailed list of county‑specific Sunday hunting allowances and requires DNR to adopt regulations allowing Sunday hunting during game bird and game mammal seasons. Crucially, the regulations must at a minimum authorize the hours and days that were permitted on June 30, 2027 — a grandfathering floor. Moving these permissions into regulation gives DNR flexibility to adjust days, hours, and conditions through the administrative rulemaking process rather than through future statutory amendments.
Restores Sunday possibility for migratory game birds and mandates goose exceptions
The bill repeals the statutory prohibition against hunting migratory game birds on Sundays and authorizes DNR to allow Sunday hunting for migratory species. It also explicitly requires DNR to allow juniors, seniors, apprentices, and full‑time students with licenses to hunt Atlantic Canada geese on Sundays during the open season — protecting access for those specific hunter groups even as DNR sets broader regulatory conditions.
Reporting requirement and temporary regulatory pilot
DNR must report to the General Assembly by December 1, 2029, on how the act affected deer management and stakeholder interests, and the agency must solicit input from all relevant stakeholders for that report. The regulatory authority given to DNR (the new §10‑410 regulatory structure) becomes effective July 1, 2027, and automatically sunsets June 30, 2030, making it a three‑year pilot unless the legislature reauthorizes it.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Environment across all five countries.
Explore Environment in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Private landowners with documented deer damage (10+ contiguous acres): Gains a statutory path to authorize lethal control tailored to a single property, including Sunday shooting under permit, providing an operational tool to protect crops, landscaping, and forest regeneration.
- Hunters and hunting organizations in counties where Sunday hunting was previously limited: Receives potential expansion of legal hunting days via DNR regulations, and explicit allowances for junior, senior, apprentice, and student hunters for Atlantic Canada geese on Sundays.
- DNR wildlife managers: Receives flexible, targeted authority to respond to localized deer impacts and to standardize Sunday‑hunting policy statewide through rulemaking instead of piecemeal statutory changes.
Who Bears the Cost
- Adjacent private residents and non‑hunter neighbors: May face increased Sunday hunting activity next to their homes or properties as a result of property‑level permits and regulatory changes expanding Sunday hours in some areas.
- Equestrian trail users and mounted recreation groups: Although the bill creates a 25‑yard buffer near DNR‑designated equestrian trails, rider safety concerns remain and enforcement of the buffer will be necessary to maintain public confidence.
- DNR (agency resources): Must undertake mapping, create and administer permits, draft and run a rulemaking process, and compile the statutorily required stakeholder report — all requiring staff time, data collection, and enforcement resources.
- Local governments and park managers: May need to coordinate on public‑safety messaging, landowner complaints, and access issues as Sunday hunting authority shifts from statute to DNR regulation during the pilot period.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill pits private property relief and flexible, centralized wildlife management against community expectations about Sunday quiet, public safety, and local control: it enables landowners and managers to address acute deer damage but does so by authorizing Sunday shooting and shifting long‑standing local rules into an agency’s hands — solving one set of problems while creating another set of governance and implementation risks.
The bill creates a targeted tool to address localized deer impacts while simultaneously centralizing Sunday‑hunting policy in the executive branch. That combination raises implementation questions.
First, the statute’s threshold and documentation standard for “deer damage” is open to interpretation: DNR will need clear protocols and evidence standards to determine when a single property qualifies, or risk inconsistent permitting decisions and legal challenges. Second, moving the long list of county exceptions into agency regulations improves agility but reduces local predictability; counties and municipalities that relied on statutory language may object to changes made by rule, and affected communities will depend on DNR’s stakeholder processes to protect local interests.
Enforcement and monitoring will be nontrivial. DNR must map eligible areas and enforce the 25‑yard equestrian buffer; both tasks require reliable land records, trail inventories, and on‑the‑ground compliance checks.
The three‑year sunset for the regulatory approach creates a compressed window to collect meaningful outcome data; if DNR lacks baseline metrics and funding to monitor safety incidents, deer take, and ecological effects, the required December 2029 report may be descriptive but inconclusive. Finally, expanding Sunday options for certain migratory bird hunts while preserving broad park‑system Sunday bans and select county prohibitions creates a patchwork of access that could confuse hunters and complicate enforcement without a robust outreach and signage effort.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.