Maryland Captive Hunting Statues and Regulations

Complete Ban.

Statute

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources defines game birds or mammals as "forest game birds and mammals, fur-bearing mammals, upland game birds and mammals, and wetland game birds or any part, egg, offspring, or dead body of any of them" (§10-101).

The General Assembly "finds and declares that it is in the public interest to insure the conservation, preservation, and condition of wildlife native to Maryland, by strictly regulating in the State the possession, importation, exportation, breeding, raising, protection, rehabilitation, hunting, killing, trapping, capture, purchase, or sale of certain wildlife which pose a possibility of: (1) Harmful competition to native wildlife; (2) The introduction of a disease or pest harmful to native wildlife; (3) Problems of enforcing laws and regulations relative to wildlife; or (4) Threatening native wildlife or other natural resources" (§10-901).

Therefore, any person who desires to "to possess, import, export, breed, raise, protect, rehabilitate, hunt, kill, trap, capture, purchase, or sell any wildlife, native to Maryland, shall first obtain a permit or license from the Department." The Secretary, by regulation, must establish the "types and classes of permits and licenses which shall be issued;...The species of wildlife exempt from the permit and license requirement; … Sanitary housing or any other conditions which are necessary for the humane, safe, and healthy possession of wildlife;...(and) Conditions under which captive wildlife may be hunted or released to the wild" (§10-902).

The Secretary may adopt regulations "prohibiting or restricting the importation, exportation, sale, release, or possession of wildlife not native to Maryland on a finding that the wildlife is harmful to native wildlife or to natural ecosystems" (§10-903).

The Department may issue "a game husbandry license to any person who desires to raise, breed, protect, or sell game birds or mammals" for a reasonable fee, specifying the "species of game birds and mammals which may be bred, raised, protected, or sold and for what purpose; … The type of fencing or other requirements necessary to prevent undesirable mixing of native wildlife and the captive game birds or mammals; and … Any other condition necessary to ensure adequate protection of native wildlife." The licensee must keep a ledger of any animal raised or killed (§10-905).

The Department may also issue "a regulated shooting ground permit on payment of a reasonable fee," specifying the size of the area, method of hunting, release, propagation, and use, in addition to any other reports deemed necessary (§10-906).

Regulation

Maryland regulations promulgate that any entity wishing to "import or possess any wildlife for release into the wild" must obtain a permit (08.03.09.04).

It is illegal to "transport a live cervid into or out of the State or transport, move, or possess a live cervid within the State" unless accredited by the American Zoological Association, or in possession of a game husbandry license. This includes, but is not limited to, "white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, black-tailed deer, caribou (reindeer), fallow deer, roe deer, musk deer, swamp deer, Pampas deer, tufted deer, red deer, and sika deer" (08.03.09.12).

The term commercial regulated shooting area is defined as "a regulated shooting area that is open to the public and charges a fee" (08.03.13.01).

A permit to operate a regulated shooting area "allows the permittee to raise, release, and hunt captive-raised pheasant, bobwhite quail, chukar partridge, Hungarian partridge, turkeys and mallard ducks on the permitted regulated shooting area" (08.03.13.02).

A Maryland Department of Natural Resources official stated that Maryland does not permit regulated shooting areas to release anything other than game birds.

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