Strong Opening Weekend for Maryland Deer Firearm Season

Mixed Weather Still Yields Success for Many Hunters

Photo by Steve Edwards, submitted to 2018 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that hunters reported 10,116 deer taken on the opening weekend of the 2022 Maryland firearm season, Nov. 26-27. Despite bad weather on Sunday, the overall harvest was just 3% lower than last year’s official opening weekend harvest of 10,446 deer. 

The harvest total included 5,090 antlered and 4,697 antlerless white-tailed deer, and 162 antlered and 167 antlerless sika deer. The two-week deer firearm season runs through Dec. 10.

“Hunters experienced excellent deer hunting conditions across the state on Saturday, but rain across most of Maryland slowed the harvest on Sunday,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said. “The weekend harvest was still strong, and hunters have plenty of time remaining in the season to put some venison in their freezers.”

Hunters in Region A, which includes Allegany, Garrett, and western Washington counties, harvested 1,142 antlered deer, an 11% increase. Hunters in Region B, comprising the rest of the state, harvested 4,110 antlered and 4,864 antlerless deer. The antlered harvest was up 5% while the antlerless harvest declined 11% from last year in the region.

Junior hunters harvested 2,056 deer during the Junior Deer Hunt Days Nov. 12-13. The harvest was 4% higher than the official harvest of 1,972 last year. Juniors registered 1,412 antlered and 644 antlerless deer.

Unofficial results by county are as follows: