Maryland Deer Harvest Jumps Nearly 16% in 2024–25 Season

Maryland deer hunters harvested 84,201 deer throughout the mixed archery, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons working from Sept. 6, 2024 by Feb. 4, 2025, based on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The statewide complete marked a 15.9% enhance over the 2023–24 harvest of 72,642 deer and was 10.4% larger than the five-year common of 76,272.

Of the full harvest, hunters reported 32,148 antlered and 47,271 antlerless white-tailed deer, together with 2,143 antlered and a couple of,639 antlerless sika deer.

“Deer hunters throughout Maryland loved one other yr within the discipline as snow and cooler temperatures made for a lot of profitable hunts later within the season,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer mentioned in an announcement. “Maryland’s deer inhabitants stays wholesome and we thank hunters for his or her help in managing the state’s deer inhabitants.”

Harvest numbers elevated throughout each of Maryland’s deer administration areas.

In Area A, which incorporates Western Maryland, hunters reported 10,275 deer, up 12.1% from 9,169 the earlier season. That complete included 5,836 antlered and 4,439 antlerless deer.

Area B, which covers the rest of the state, accounted for the majority of the harvest with 73,926 deer. That determine represents a 16.5% enhance from final yr’s 63,473 deer. Hunters in Area B reported 28,455 antlered and 45,471 antlerless deer.

Frederick County as soon as once more led the state in whitetail harvest with 6,869 deer, a 4.9% enhance over the earlier yr. Carroll County adopted with 5,988 deer, whereas Garrett County ranked third with 5,613. Baltimore and Washington counties rounded out the highest 5 with 5,239 and 5,066 deer, respectively.

Hunters harvested 9,459 deer on Sundays, accounting for 11.2% of the full statewide harvest. Sunday deer searching is presently permitted solely throughout sure weeks in 20 of Maryland’s 23 counties.

The elevated harvest comes as Maryland continues balancing deer populations with forest well being.

Since 2005, the state’s white-tailed deer inhabitants has stabilized at roughly 235,000 animals, down from a peak of round 300,000 in 2002 however nonetheless considerably larger than historic ranges within the Eighties. On the identical time, the variety of licensed hunters has declined by greater than 40% because the Seventies.

Wildlife managers say sustaining an enough harvest is essential. Excessive deer densities can result in over-browsing, the place deer eat younger tree seedlings and understory vegetation sooner than forests can regenerate. In closely browsed forests, a visual “browse line” typically varieties at about six ft above the bottom, the place vegetation beneath that top has been closely nibbled.

Over-browsing can suppress younger forest development and scale back habitat for different species akin to turkeys, quail, and pollinators. It could additionally permit invasive plant species to unfold extra simply, additional impacting forest regeneration.

State officers have emphasised that regulated searching stays some of the efficient instruments for managing deer populations whereas supporting long-term forest sustainability.

With a robust 2024–25 harvest and continued hunter participation, Maryland wildlife managers say the state stays on observe to take care of a wholesome deer herd and balanced ecosystem.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning out of doors journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly out of doors column for the Slidell Unbiased Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Outside Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith electronic mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com