ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland hunters registered 9,633 deer during the opening weekend of the 2025 firearm season Nov. 29-30, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported.
The two-day total marked an 11.5 percent decline from the 10,889 deer taken during the 2024 opening weekend and fell 7.2 percent below the five-year average of 10,384 deer.
Hunters harvested 4,545 antlered and 4,771 antlerless white-tailed deer statewide, along with 160 antlered and 157 antlerless sika deer. The firearm season continues through Dec. 13.
Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer noted the slight drop but expressed optimism for the full season.
“Although the opening weekend firearms season deer harvest was down slightly, we expect the full firearms season harvest to be similar to years past,” Stonesifer said. “Firearms season, the most popular deer hunting season in Maryland, offers many hunters a wonderful opportunity to spend time outdoors, provide meals for their families, and assist in managing the abundant deer herd across Maryland.”
Unofficial results by county are as follows:
Junior HuntNov. 15-16 SaturdayNov. 29 SundayNov. 30 Antlered Antlerless Junior Total Antlered Antlerless Saturday Total Antlered Antlerless Sunday Total Opening Weekend Total Allegany 116 36 152 277 0 277 84 0 84 361 Anne Arundel 12 7 19 36 71 107 7 21 28 135 Baltimore 28 16 44 155 224 379 * * * 379 Calvert 10 12 22 59 74 133 15 16 31 164 Caroline whitetail 36 29 65 141 197 338 28 52 80 418 sika 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 3 Carroll 130 69 199 321 401 722 75 103 178 900 Cecil 43 16 59 141 173 314 27 61 88 402 Charles 30 19 49 84 145 229 23 48 71 300 Dorchester whitetail 34 17 51 92 110 202 25 42 67 269 sika 18 12 30 88 73 161 44 60 104 265 Frederick 180 74 254 420 378 798 89 124 213 1,011 Garrett 267 67 334 411 0 411 110 0 110 521 Harford 22 10 32 112 165 277 31 61 92 369 Howard 15 5 20 59 109 168 * * * 168 Kent 49 19 68 170 261 431 39 86 125 556 Montgomery 45 32 77 107 111 218 21 33 54 272 Prince George’s 8 1 9 54 49 103 * * * 103 Queen Anne’s 46 19 65 169 286 455 36 61 97 552 St. Mary’s 30 19 49 54 112 166 23 32 55 221 Somerset whitetail 36 24 60 88 160 248 35 47 82 330 sika 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Talbot 36 8 44 93 141 234 19 57 76 310 Washington 140 41 181 357 201 558 79 50 129 687 Wicomico whitetail 73 38 111 122 161 283 49 95 144 427 sika 3 2 5 16 7 23 5 10 15 38 Worcester whitetail 78 43 121 148 155 303 60 98 158 461 sika 0 0 0 4 3 7 1 2 3 10 Total 1,485 635 2,120 3,780 3,768 7,548 925 1,160 2,085 9,633
Sunday hunting, permitted in select counties, produced 2,085 deer Nov. 30. That total accounted for 21.6 percent of the weekend harvest despite Sunday not being open statewide.
In Region A — Allegany, Garrett, and western Washington counties — hunters took 1,008 antlered deer, down 6.7 percent from the previous year. Region B, covering the remainder of the state including Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties in Southern Maryland, recorded 3,767 antlered and 4,928 antlerless deer. The Region B antlered harvest decreased 6.9 percent while antlerless numbers dropped 14.5 percent compared with 2024.
Earlier in November, junior hunters harvested 2,120 deer during the Junior Deer Hunt Days held Nov. 15-16. The youth total declined 14.9 percent from the 2,490 deer registered in 2024, with juniors taking 1,485 antlered and 635 antlerless deer.
Maryland manages white-tailed deer through two primary regions to balance population goals with habitat and agricultural concerns. Region A in the western mountains typically carries lower deer densities and more restrictive antlerless regulations. Region B encompasses the Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Southern Maryland counties where deer populations remain robust and antlerless harvest serves as the primary management tool.
Hunters must register all deer through the department’s online, phone, or in-person check-in system. The data collected helps biologists set season lengths, bag limits, and bonus stamp opportunities for the following year.
The firearm season remains the centerpiece of Maryland’s deer hunting calendar, drawing thousands of residents and visitors annually. Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties fall entirely within Region B and allow Sunday hunting on private lands and select public properties during the firearm season.
Remaining opportunities in 2025 include the late muzzleloader season in January and an extended archery season that runs through January 31 in parts of the state.