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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0186*
HOUSE BILL 186
M2 6lr1016
(PRE–FILED)
By: Delegates Bouchat, Buckel, Fair, Grammer, Hornberger, Pippy, Valentine,
and Wivell
Requested: September 29, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Natural Resources – Bow Hunting – Sundays 2
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to allow statewide a 3
person to hunt deer on Sundays throughout the deer bow hunting season and to hunt 4
turkey using a bow and arrow on Sundays throughout the turkey hunting season; 5
and generally relating to bow hunting on Sundays. 6
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Natural Resources 8
Section 10–410(a) 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
Article – Natural Resources 14
10–410. 15
(a) (1) (i) The Department may allow a person to hunt on each Sunday of 16
the game bird and game mammal seasons in: 17
1. Allegany County; 18
2. Subject to subpa ragraph (iii) of this paragraph, Calvert 19
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 20
2 HOUSE BILL 186
3. Subject to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, Caroline 1
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 2
4. Cecil County; 3
5. Subject to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, Charles 4
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 5
6. Subject to subparagraph (iv) of this paragraph, Dorchester 6
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 7
7. Garrett County; 8
8. Subject to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, Queen 9
Anne’s County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 10
9. St. Mary’s County; 11
10. Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, Somerset 12
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; 13
11. Washington County; 14
12. Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, Worcester 15
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; and 16
13. Subject to subparagraph (v) of this paragraph, Wicomico 17
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m. 18
(ii) The time restrictions under subparagraph (i)10 and 12 of this 19
paragraph do not apply: 20
1. On each Sunday of the deer firearms season; [and] 21
2. On [the last three Sundays in October and the first two 22
Sundays in November] EACH SUNDAY of the deer bow hunting season; AND 23
3. ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE TURKEY HUNTING SEASON 24
FOR A PERSON HUNTING TURKEY USING A BOW AND ARROW. 25
(iii) The time restrictions under subparagraph (i)2, 3, 5, and 8 of this 26
paragraph do not apply: 27
1. On each Sunday [during] OF the deer firearms season; 28
HOUSE BILL 186 3
2. On [the last three Sundays in October and the first two 1
Sundays in November during] EACH SUNDAY OF the deer bow hunting season; and 2
3. A. ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE TURKEY HUNTING 3
SEASON FOR A PERSON HUNTING TURKEY USING A BOW AND ARROW; AND 4
B. On each Sunday of the spring turkey hunting season FOR 5
A PERSON HUNTING TUR KEY USING A HUNTING DEVIC E OTHER THAN A BOW A ND 6
ARROW. 7
(iv) The time restrictions under subparagraph (i)6 of this paragraph 8
do not apply: 9
1. On each Sunday of the deer hunting seasons from the first 10
Sunday in October through the second Sunday in January, inclusive; [and] 11
2. ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE DEER BO W HUNTING 12
SEASON; AND 13
3. A. ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE TURKEY HUNTING 14
SEASON FOR A PERSON HUNTING TURKEY USING A BOW AND ARROW; AND 15
B. On each Sunday of the spring turkey hunting season FOR 16
A PERSON HUNTING TUR KEY USING A HUNTING DEVICE OTHER THAN A BOW AND 17
ARROW. 18
(v) The time restrictions under subparagraph [(i)(13)] (I)13 of this 19
paragraph do not apply: 20
1. On the first Sunday of the deer firearms season; [and] 21
2. On [the last three Sundays in October and the first two 22
Sundays in November] EACH SUNDAY of the deer bow hunting season; AND 23
3. ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE TURKEY HUNTING SEASON 24
FOR A PERSON HUNTING TURKEY USING A BOW AND ARROW. 25
(2) The Department may allow a person to hunt deer on each Sunday of the 26
deer hunting seasons from the first Sund ay in October through the second Sunday in 27
January, inclusive, AND ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE DEER BOW HUNTING SEASON, in: 28
(i) Carroll County; and 29
(ii) Frederick County. 30
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(3) (i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the Department 1
may allow a person to hunt deer on each Sunday of the deer hunting seasons from 30 2
minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m. in: 3
1. Kent County; 4
2. Montgomery County; and 5
3. Talbot County. 6
(ii) The time restrictions under this paragraph do not apply: 7
1. To a participant in a junior deer hunt authorized under 8
this subtitle; 9
2. On one Sunday designated by the Department during the 10
deer firearms season; 11
3. In Kent County, on each Sunday [during] OF the deer bow 12
hunting season and the deer muzzle loader season; 13
4. In Montgomery County, on [one Sunday designated by the 14
Department during] EACH SUNDAY OF the deer bow hunting season; and 15
5. In Talbot County, on [the last three Sundays in Octobe r 16
and the first two Sundays in November during] EACH SUNDAY OF the DEER bow hunting 17
season. 18
(4) The Department may allow a person to hunt deer during the deer 19
firearms season: 20
(i) On each Sunday in Harford County; and 21
(ii) On the first Sunday in Anne Arundel County. 22
(5) The Department may allow a person to hunt deer [during the deer bow 23
hunting season on: 24
(i) The last three Sundays in October and the first two Sundays in 25
November in Harford County; and 26
(ii) The first Sunday in November in Anne Arundel County ] ON 27
EACH SUNDAY OF THE DEER BOW HUNTING SEASON IN: 28
(I) ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY; 29
HOUSE BILL 186 5
(II) BALTIMORE CITY; 1
(III) BALTIMORE COUNTY; 2
(IV) HARFORD COUNTY; 3
(V) HOWARD COUNTY; AND 4
(VI) PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY. 5
(6) (I) THE DEPARTMENT MAY ALLOW A PERSON TO HUNT TURKEY 6
USING A BOW AND ARROW ON EACH SUNDAY OF THE TURKEY HUNTING SEASON IN: 7
1. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY; 8
2. BALTIMORE CITY; 9
3. BALTIMORE COUNTY; 10
4. CARROLL COUNTY; 11
5. FREDERICK COUNTY; 12
6. HARFORD COUNTY; 13
7. HOWARD COUNTY; 14
8. KENT COUNTY; 15
9. MONTGOMERY COUNTY; 16
10. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY; AND 17
11. TALBOT COUNTY. 18
(II) The Department may allow a person to hunt turkey USING A 19
HUNTING DEVICE OTHER THAN A BOW AND ARROW on each Sunday of the spring turkey 20
hunting season in: 21
[(i)] 1. Carroll County; 22
[(ii)] 2. Kent County; and 23
6 HOUSE BILL 186
[(iii)] 3. Talbot County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 1
a.m. 2
(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle, the Department 3
may allow a person with a deer management permit to shoot deer on any Sunday 4
throughout the year in accordance with the terms of the permit. 5
(8) The Department may allow a person using a State certified raptor to 6
hunt game birds or mammals on each Sunday during the open season for the game birds 7
or mammals. 8
(9) The Department may allow an unarmed person participating in an 9
organized fox chase to chase foxes on Sunday. 10
(10) The Department may allow a person shooting pen –reared game birds 11
or tower–released flighted mallard ducks to hunt on Sunday at a regulated shooting ground 12
in accordance with § 10–906 of this title. 13
(11) The Department may allow a person who is 16 years old or younger to 14
hunt on Sunday if participating in a junior hunt established by the Department in 15
accordance with this subtitle. 16
(12) Except as provided in paragraphs (5), (6), AND (8) through (10) of this 17
subsection and subject to paragraph (7) of this subsection, a person may not hunt on Sunday 18
in: 19
(i) Baltimore City; 20
(ii) Baltimore County; 21
(iii) Howard County; or 22
(iv) Prince George’s County. 23
(13) A person may not hunt migratory game birds on Sunday. 24
(14) A person may not hunt on public land within the State park system on 25
Sunday. 26
(15) (i) The Department may not allow a person to hunt on public land 27
designated for hunting by the Department on Sunday except in: 28
1. Allegany County; 29
2. Cecil County; 30
3. Garrett County; 31
HOUSE BILL 186 7
4. St. Mary’s County; 1
5. Washington County; 2
6. Dorchester County, for turkey during the spring turkey 3
hunting season; 4
7. Frederick County, for deer from the first Sunday in 5
October through the second Sunday in January of the following year, inclusive; 6
8. Subject to subparagrap h (ii) of this paragraph, Somerset 7
County, on public land leased to a hunt club from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 8
a.m.; 9
9. Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, Worcester 10
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m.; and 11
10. Subject to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, Wicomico 12
County, from 30 minutes before sunrise until 10:30 a.m. 13
(ii) The time restrictions under subparagraph (i)8 and 9 of this 14
paragraph do not apply: 15
1. On each Sunday of the deer firearms season; and 16
2. On the last three Sundays in October and the first two 17
Sundays in November of the deer bow hunting season. 18
(iii) The time restrictions under subparagraph (i)10 of this paragraph 19
do not apply: 20
1. On the first Sunday of the deer firearms season; and 21
2. On the last three Sundays in October and the first two 22
Sundays in November of the deer bow hunting season. 23
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 24
1, 2026. 25