Grizzlybear

Hello everyone-

This is my first post here in this forum. I am fairly new to Maryland (moved from PA), and I wanted to know if anyone here hunts Maryland?

I' ll be honest, I have a bad impression of the state so far. A lot of folks here kill deer, but I' ve yet to meet someone I' d call a hunter. I' m not blasting everyone - just relating my experience. Guys at work here consider hunting standing on their porch with a crossbow jacking deer after dark - one guy shot a big 8 well after dark and had it mounted. There' s GOTTA be some real hunters in this state - just wondering if there are any on this forum.

Thanks!!!!!!!

Solax

What part of MD are you in? I live and hunt in St. Mary' s Co. and I agree, a lot of people seem to " Kill" deer and not be hunters. I, personally, am a hunter. How can I prove this, because I went deer hunting about 30-40 times last year and got one doe. Anyway, you just have to ignore or try to correct them. If they think that spot lighting deer is hunting remind them that it is illegal for a reason....it' s not fair chase and it' s dangerous. Also tell them that any idiot can go out in a field and spot light a buck but try taking that buck legally and they won' t have a chance.

Grizzlybear

Solax-

My apt is in Howard county. So far I' ve only hunted the Patapsco Park. Is St Mary' s on the E shore?

Thanks for the reply!

Solax

Grizz,

St. Mary' s Co. is the Southern most tip of Maryland on the Western side of the Bay. It' s between the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers. VA is right across the Potomac from us. You may have heard of Pax Naval Air Station, that' s us. It is very rural (getting less so all the time) and there is a lot of farm land. A lot of nice bucks are taken down here........just not by me. Soon though, very soon.

Take care.

MBuckH72

Grizzley, I live in Baltimore county and also know a guy who shot a deer well after dark at 11 PM , 8 point, and got it mounted (with an x bow too). Might be the same guy I know!! lol I hunted between 4-6 days a week, and got 5 deer this past year.....That 8 point he got had a 24 1/4 inch inside spread on it. I would never shoot a deer at night, but some people do it....

dsheally

Honestly, our state is much like Pa. as in you have real hunters and then poachers.
Seems like it' s like this across the country. Now, if we could rid ourselves of the
poachers[:-] we would all do alot better.

Rickmur

You must be hanging out with the wrong crowd [X(]. Come to our get-together which you missed, it was last weekend and you will meet some quality people and hunters. What you say is inducive everywhere not just in Md.

DaveH

The law breakers you described are poachers--not hunters--and should be turned in. The idiots that do this irritate me tremendously.

I' ve been playing cat-and-mouse on my property for 2 years now with a 10 point who has won so far. The only time I could' ve shot him would' ve been on a Sunday afternoon with a shotgun from my deck---NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!

As mdbowhuntr said, poachers are everywhere, not just here in MD. Weed ' em out and let the good guys have the hunting!

Grizzlybear

Thanks for the replies, guys. I know that there are good folks out there and it seemed this was a good way to start to find them. mdbohuntr-you mentioned a get-together - is that for a club of some sort?

I think that I will carry the number for the DNR with me this year in case I see that kind of thing again. Have any of you successfully reported poachers? By that I mean, does the DNR actively follow up? I guess my thought so far was that it wouldn' t do too much - but I have no real reason/evidence for forming that opinion.

MBuckH72

Yes..DNR does actually show up, atleast in my area. I had a problem with a guy that hunted the property next door to where I hunted, and SWORE that I was poaching on the property that I have written permission to hunt. He wanted me off that property so bad cause I hunt a heavily populated deer trail that he wouldn' t be able to hunt because of me being there. I called DNR and now it was all straightened out.