Maryland’s two-week firearms season for white-tailed and sika deer opens Saturday, Nov. 28, and closes Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The department’s announcement, dated Nov. 4, also covers license purchases, required fluorescent clothing, the antler-point rule, a chronic wasting disease area and new drone rules.
When does the 2026 firearms season start and end?
The season begins on Saturday, Nov. 28, and ends on Saturday, Dec. 12. Counting both the first and last days, that is 15 calendar days, which the department describes as a two-week season. It is one of several separate weapon seasons that make up Maryland’s deer calendar, and the archery season pauses around the muzzleloader and firearms periods. Readers who want the bow-hunting side of the calendar can read the 2026-27 archery deer season rules.
The department says the firearms season includes the opportunity to hunt on certain Sundays in all but three counties. The announcement points hunters to a Sunday hunting calendar for the specific dates and for the three counties where it does not apply, so anyone planning a Sunday trip should check that calendar rather than assume.
Quick facts
| Detail | What the Department of Natural Resources says |
|---|---|
| Season opens | Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026 |
| Season closes | Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026 |
| Species | White-tailed deer and sika deer |
| Sunday hunting | Certain Sundays, in all but three counties |
| Sika deer | Separate sika hunting stamp required |
| Antler-point rule | Still in effect; exemptions for juniors and apprentices 16 and younger |
| Licensing phone line | 866-344-8889 |
| Wounded-game contact | Natural Resources Police, 800-628-9944 |
How do hunters buy licenses and stamps?
Licenses and stamps are sold through the MD Outdoors licensing system and its free mobile app. They can also be bought from a licensing agent or through the department’s Licensing and Registration Service at 866-344-8889.
Hunters who intend to pursue sika deer need a sika hunting stamp in addition to their other required licenses. The department defines an antlered sika as one with at least one antler visible above the hairline.
The department notes that license revenue pays for several things beyond the sale itself: hunter recruitment, education and certification; habitat acquisition and restoration; upkeep of Wildlife Management Areas; technical assistance for landowners; and wildlife law enforcement.
What is the antler-point restriction?
An antler-point restriction remains in effect for white-tailed deer. Under it, one antlered white-tailed deer within a hunter’s yearly bag limit may lack three points on one antler. Any additional antlered deer must meet the minimum point requirement.
Licensed junior hunters and apprentice license holders who are 16 or younger are exempt from the restriction.
The department’s separate archery-season release adds that the statewide limit on antlered white-tailed deer is two, with no more than one per weapon season, and that a Bonus Antlered Deer Stamp changes that arithmetic in some cases. The Western Maryland region, which the department calls Region A, stays capped at two antlered deer and one per weapon season regardless of the stamp. Bag limits for antlerless deer and the antlerless season dates are published in the 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, which is the document the department tells hunters to consult.
What must hunters wear?
Hunters and anyone accompanying them must wear daylight fluorescent orange or pink. The department lists three acceptable forms:
- A solid fluorescent cap.
- A vest or jacket whose back and front panels total at least 250 square inches.
- A camouflage outer garment, worn above the waist, that is at least 50 percent fluorescent color.
The requirement applies to companions as well as the person holding the firearm, a detail that is easy to overlook for a family member who is only walking along.
What is the chronic wasting disease management area?
The department maintains a Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area covering Allegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties. Inside it, hunters cannot take whole carcasses or certain deer parts out of the area, except under specified exceptions.
The department says research indicates the disease is not naturally transmitted to humans. As a precaution, it advises people to avoid eating meat from sick animals and to avoid eating the brain, lymph nodes or spinal column of any deer, parts that are normally removed during butchering. Hunters who take a deer in or near that seven-county area should read the exceptions before moving any carcass.
How can hunters stay safe in a tree stand?
Falls from elevated stands are a recurring hazard in deer season, and the department’s guidance is specific:
- Inspect every tree stand carefully before use.
- Wear a full-body safety harness while in the stand and while climbing in or out.
- Use a prusik knot, a sliding knot, on a line secured above the stand, so the hunter is tethered to the tree from the moment they leave the ground.
These steps matter most early in the season, when stands that have sat through summer weather may have loosened or worn.
What do the new drone rules allow?
The announcement flags drones as new this year. Using a drone to locate and recover wounded or dead game is legal. Using a drone to hunt, trap or pursue wildlife is illegal.
Hunters must also contact the Natural Resources Police at 800-628-9944 before and after searching for any wounded or dead animal. The same instruction appeared in the department’s September release on archery season, so it applies across weapon seasons.
What else is on the Maryland deer calendar?
Firearms season sits between other dates the department has announced this fall:
- Junior Deer Hunt: open Nov. 14 statewide, with a Sunday option on Nov. 15 in certain counties.
- Primitive Deer Hunt Days: Feb. 1-3, 2027, for archers using vertical longbows and vertical recurve bows, which the department calls the seventh annual event.
- Archery season: runs through Jan. 31, 2027, with breaks for the muzzleloader and firearms seasons.
Deer are not the only animal Maryland manages through regulated hunts. According to a Nov. 2 department release, hunters took 89 black bears during the hunt that ran Oct. 26 to 31, close to the five-year average of 95. Oysters are another regulated harvest, covered in the guide to Maryland oyster season rules and stocks.
Hunting is also a land-use story. The department says its Wildlife Management Areas are open in 19 of Maryland’s 23 counties, and license revenue helps maintain them. Fall visitors who are not hunting but want to be outdoors can find a separate guide to where to see Maryland’s fall color in 2026; anyone walking public land during deer season is wise to wear bright clothing as well.
Can hunters donate venison?
Yes. The department encourages hunters to donate deer to food banks. A state tax credit is available when a hunter pays to process a deer and donates the venison. Hunters should ask their processors about other local or state programs, since the department’s announcement does not list them.
What should hunters and neighbors keep in mind?
For hunters, the department’s checklist comes down to a handful of items: a current license and any needed stamps, the right fluorescent clothing, a plan for the antler-point rule, attention to the chronic wasting disease area, a properly used harness and a call to the Natural Resources Police if a wounded animal needs to be tracked with a drone.
For everyone else, the practical point is simple. Over the two weeks from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12, hunters will be afield on public and private land across the state, including on certain Sundays. The department’s contact numbers are 1-877-620-8DNR (8367) within Maryland and 410-260-8DNR (8367) from out of state, and its address is 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis.
Before the opener
Maryland’s firearms deer season is short, and the rules that matter most are the ones that can be checked in advance: license and stamp, orange or pink clothing, antler points, the seven-county disease area and the Sunday calendar. The 2026-2027 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping remains the controlling reference for bag limits and antlerless dates, and the Department of Natural Resources is the place to confirm anything that changes before Nov. 28.
This article is general information about published hunting regulations, not legal advice. Confirm current rules, bag limits and closures with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources before hunting.
Sources: Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Maryland News
