Maryland turkey season

[potter]

Can u hunt this spring in md.? I called got an answer that you can only hunt and fish if you need to feed your family. Due to the governor's shutdown. Is anybody going to hunt md.?

[cwb04]

Obviously - your family is hungry!!!  Gotta keep fresh turkey breast on hand! 

[PALongspur]

Hoping to, but I'm not buying license until the last minute.

[Hatchet Jack]

Absolutely you can hunt. My son and I went out this weekend for Maryland's Junior Hunt and he killed a nice gobbler on Easter Day. (Ostertag)
My work has slowed down considerably this year due to the virus. I plan on doing lots of hunting to provide wild turkey breast for my family this season. With the decrease of work and income will leave me extra time to hunt and provide. I will need to provide a staple part of my family's diet. Wild turkey  is a big part of my family's diet.
Might sound funny to some but..... I had my wife write me a note to show the game warden in the event I ever get stopped. The note explains how she is in charge of our family's diet schedule, menu planning and meal preparation. It also explains how we eat mostly wild game to avoid hormones and chemicals from store bought foods and meats. Yada,Yada,Yada..... and how wild turkey is very important to us and our sustenance.

BTW Check out my post from earlier today to see my son's Easter Day Gobbler

[TauntoHawk]

The Maryland DNR has made a mess for themselves instead of just clarifying the states stance they've shrouded themselves in convoluted language to try minimize all activity for its customers as much as possible.

This is from the DNR website
"During the stay at home order, recreational fishing, hunting, and crabbing, including intentional catch-and-release, in Maryland is prohibited. Engaging in these activities is permitted only if seeking sustenance for you or your family. No Maryland resident should be leaving their home unless it is for an essential job or reason, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention, or other necessary purposes."

How do you substantiate that, if I'm successful I have food if not am I considered recreational and ? If I pass a Jake am I outside the law because I passed on food for my family.


If you contact the DNR they will give the same vague blanket statement to everyone which again offers no true value or calcification.

"Thank you for contacting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Stay at home unless you absolutely must leave. This is a serious global health crisis and the number of confirmed cases and deaths in Maryland rises every day. Risking unnecessary exposure is not just a hazard for you — it puts law enforcement, emergency responders, seniors and vulnerable populations in danger. We will save lives by doing the right thing and simply staying home.

With that in mind, limited hunting is allowed if you are seeking food for you or your family, but the social distancing guidelines and the prohibition on social gatherings must be strictly followed. All current hunting rules and regulations still apply, including the requirement to have the appropriate licenses, permits, and stamps."



What's wrong with saying hunting as usual enjoy and be safe, follow social distancing remember that camping is closed.



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[Remturkey]

Taunto, it's Maryland, as a lifelong resident of the people's republic myself, I expected nothing less than a explanation from our DNR that is about as clear as chicken soup. 

I've been getting different answers about non-resident hunters coming here this spring so honestly I think it's roll of the dice at this point if you will be targeted if you have out of state plates and are thought to be hunting.

[TauntoHawk]

Taunto, it's Maryland, as a lifelong resident of the people's republic myself, I expected nothing less than a explanation from our DNR that is about as clear as chicken soup. 

I've been getting different answers about non-resident hunters coming here this spring so honestly I think it's roll of the dice at this point if you will be targeted if you have out of state plates and are thought to be hunting.

It's just about the most absurd way to go about it, basically their stance is we aren't going to stop you from buying a license, we won't formally close the season to residents or non residents we will just continue to discourage everyone from going afield, send mixed messages, and if we see you too far from home or a non resident we will urge you to go back home, potentially even harass or threaten you with fines.

If done right hunting and primitive camping is about the most socially distanced thing you can do, enjoy fresh air and exercise is also one heck of an immune booster.

I'm not careless or wish to ignore our current viral issue, I just want to know if I can safely and legally enjoy my primary passion without threat of being harassed or fined. Last year I came as a non resident twice, I camped in my vehicle and hunted remote sections of woods. Never came in physically contact with another person, I didn't go to a restaurant or even a gas station inside MD. That was without a pandemic just what occurred

I now can't camp on public, or at a private camp ground so now what do I do? Do I have to get a hotel which puts me near people I don't want to do that for my sake or there's, I also don't want to do that if they are going to seek me out and send me home after selling me a license. I have received 3 different answers between the website, email, and calls non of them agree to the same conclusion.

I wish I knew someone that would let me camp on private away from any residence in the area I intended to hunt that I knew I could go and enjoy those gorgeous hardwoods ridges without contact with others. I didnt intend to go opening weekend anyways so I will wait and see how things go for others residents and non res alike before I decide anything about next weekend.

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[Cowboy]

Sounds like your Gov comes from the same gene pool as mine. Pritzker from Illinois.  Hunt, Fish, and forage is my motto.

[TauntoHawk]

Sounds like your Gov comes from the same gene pool as mine. Pritzker from Illinois.  Hunt, Fish, and forage is my motto.

It's like the state governments are looting for freedoms right now, just grabbing whatever they can from citizens.

[dejake]

As a non-resident, there's no restrictions on me coming in and hunting for food.

[potter]

I canceled  my western md hunt which is my favorite.  But have a place in ocean city with boat .I like to fish bay and hunt state park near there. But with pa plates hunting in state park ,I'm hoping I will not be harrassed. In the bay I don't no if they will enforce rules or not. Hopefully the rangers and wardens will realize  how stupid  this is and leave me alone.

[TauntoHawk]

I canceled  my western md hunt which is my favorite.  But have a place in ocean city with boat .I like to fish bay and hunt state park near there. But with pa plates hunting in state park ,I'm hoping I will not be harrassed. In the bay I don't no if they will enforce rules or not. Hopefully the rangers and wardens will realize  how stupid  this is and leave me alone.

I find it hard to imagine them having a bunch of wardens out driving around the miles of stone roads in places like green ridge and savage looking for PA plates, to do what, wait at the vehicle for hours until you return to "ask" you to go home. Walk through the woods and try and find its owner? All while still selling Licenses and not putting out a formal notice online.



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[Happy]

Its Maryland, would be a decent state if it weren't for the monkeys in the middle. I swear when the Lord was pouring most of those folks brains in, someone must have bumped his arm.

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[Remturkey]

Our annual turkey hunting/trout fishing camping trip to Green Ridge SF with some guys from my church is cancelled this year. We have been enjoying this for at least 20 years.  I'm fortunate to know some co-workers in the area that I can stay in a pop-up in their yard.  Definitely going to save some birds this year, 2021 may be pretty interesting. 

Taunto, shoot me a PM about where you normally hunt while your down here. I may know some places you can possibly stay.

[Josh Snyder]

Following this thread and trying, like a lot of guys, to decide if this non-resident will be hunting public ground in MD this weekend.