Preventing herds of deer from getting an easy meal in a farm field instead of the wild is an important part of Maryland’s deer management strategy. Photo by Charles White, submitted to the 2018 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
Maryland plays host to a robust white-tailed deer population, most recently estimated by the Department of Natural Resources to range between 200,000 and 250,000 deer. The current estimated deer population is down from a high of nearly 300,000. But even with effective management, deer can have an impact on residents and landowners through conflicts such as vehicle accidents and damage to farm crops.
Maryland offers a number of solutions to residents experiencing deer damage problems . Residential properties might employ non-lethal methods such as fencing, chemical repellents, or visual and auditory deterrents. Deer damage on large-scale, commercial properties prove more difficult to curb. In these cases, lethal deer management techniques are more effective by limiting population growth.
When department-regulated recreational hunting isn’t enough, landowners and farmers who suffer from commercial crop damage on agricultural lands can apply for a Deer Management Permit or a Deer Cooperator License.
“Recreational hunting remains the primary tool for managing Maryland’s deer herd. Approximately 80,000 deer are taken annually by deer hunters in Maryland” DNR Deer Project Leader Kevin Lamp said. “However, recreational hunting may not be practical in some situations. In these scenarios, we provide two additional options to increase localized removal of deer and reduce the potential negative impacts they have on the citizens of Maryland.”
The Deer Management Permit (DMP) – known colloquially as a “Crop Damage Permit” – is issued when landowners and farmers need assistance resolving damage to commercially farmed crops, orchards, nurseries, and certain managed forests. In these cases, DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service staff conduct a quick assessment to determine the extent of damage and issue a permit for additional deer to be taken by shooters on the DMP. DMP shooters may take deer year-round, including on Sundays. To apply for this permit, landowners should request an assessment by contacting the department’s county-specific staff list.
This permit is currently underused in Maryland. While the department issues an average of 1,800 DMPs annually with an average authorized take of more than 33,000 deer, many of those tags remain unfilled. In the past three years, fewer than 9,500 deer have been annually harvested under DMPs – less than 30 percent of the allotment.
The Deer Cooperator License (DCL) is the Department’s last line of defense when fighting severe deer damage in situations where recreational hunting and traditional crop damage permits are not effectively managing the herd. Also used for private and public entities to address human safety concerns (such as airports or vehicle test tracks), those operating on a DCL are exempt from many of the state’s hunting regulations. In these instances, license-holders must submit an operational plan, pass a written exam, pay a yearly $100 fee, carry comprehensive insurance, pass a shooting proficiency test, and notify county officials as well as Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) of all management activity.
Once granted a DCL, license-holders can be issued an Agricultural Operational Permit, valid January 15 through April 15. This permit allows shooters to take deer at night using centerfire rifles, artificial lights, night vision optics, and suppressors or ‘silencers’.
To apply for this permit, interested individuals must review the following guidelines and contact the Wildlife and Heritage Service.
Holders of each permit must abide by similar regulations:
- Removal of deer must follow the same 150 yard safety zone as specified in Maryland law.
- Just as with regular seasonal hunting, deer must be electronically checked in, using the DNR online portal, Big Game Registration Phone Line (888-800-0121), or AccessDNR app.
- Permit holders and designees must not have any state, federal, or local natural resources violations within five years prior to the date of application.
- Permittees must possess a current, valid Maryland hunting license, except those exempt pursuant to Natural Resources Article, §10-301(b), Annotated Code of Maryland.
- Harvested deer should be processed for consumption and/or donated by specified deer butchers and processors; wanton waste of harvested deer is prohibited in Maryland.
- Individuals acting under a DMP or DCL may not possess or be under the influence of any alcoholic beverages, narcotics, or controlled dangerous substances while attempting to take deer.
While each of the permits vary in different ways, both address some of the major agricultural concerns brought about by deer. With crop damage being a significant concern among Maryland’s agricultural community, local farmers have multiple options to curtail deer conflicts.
