: Dan Neuland and his son, Nathaniel, from Thurmont, Maryland, with a bow kill from an October state park hunt in Maryland. Photo courtesy of Dan Neuland.

In this day and age finding a place to hunt is tough to say the least. Often public lands are crowded and the deer are under intense hunting pressure making them tough to hunt. We did some research for readers on public lands in both Delaware and Maryland and came up with some very promising opportunities for this season. The great news is that most of these hunting opportunities are open all season long, and there are plenty of deer available to boot.

MARYLAND WMAs
In Maryland, the far western portion of the state is mountainous and challenging for hunters. Weather in the western mountainous region can be trying as well. Deer numbers on public lands in these areas are stable, and pressure on public land is intense at times. However, in the southern and coastal regions of the state, the land is more urbanized and deer populations are dense, requiring some hunter assistance to thin the deer herd. We found one WMA that gets little pressure and has a liberal bag limit.

Maryland Marine Properties
Maryland Marine Properties is one of the Free State's best-kept secrets. The 1,130-acre jewel is located adjacent to the Pocomoke River near the Chesapeake Bay and is loaded with game, including deer. We spoke with Wildlife Technician Buck Jarusek about the deer-hunting opportunities there for hunters. Jarusek shared some detailed information about the WMA with us.

"The WMA is composed of a mix of upland hardwoods and marsh riverside habitat with pine thickets interspersed. The hardwoods include oak and wild cherry. We also practice land management for dove and quail, which of course benefits turkeys and deer. Some of our fields that we plant each year include corn, sunflowers and wheat."

Jarusek says that all of the hunts at Maryland Marine Properties are open to the public and are not draw hunts at this time. Last year's season dates were as follows: Archery -- Sept. 15-Oct. 15, Oct. 20-Nov. 28, Dec. 15-19, Jan. 5-8 and Jan. 12-31. During these dates, hunters could harvest deer of either sex.

Muzzleloader hunters took to the fields Oct. 16-18 (either sex), 20-25 (antlerless only), and Dec. 20-Jan. 3 (either sex). Firearms hunters (shotguns and rifles) had the woods from Nov. 29-Dec. 13 and Jan. 9-10. Either-sex harvest was permitted. Season bag limits are two bucks and 10 does.

Jarusek also stated that there are good numbers of deer all over Maryland Marine Properties, but hunters should focus on the edges of the habitats, such as the uplands and thickets or the marsh and the pine thickets. The older age-classes of bucks tend to hide out in the marsh, where there is good cover and even less hunting pressure. The Phragmites dominate the landscape there and hunters don't care to venture into the marsh to hunt that often. A hunter who finds a stand site tree near an exit from the marsh has a good chance to take a big buck. Deer are common all over the WMA.