Consumer Health Information - Termination Date and Mandatory Funding for the State's Consumer Health Information Hub - Repeal
HB0882 authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to allow deer hunting on each Sunday of the deer bow hunting season in Prince George’s County. The bill also adds Prince George’s County to the list of counties where archery hunters benefit from a reduced safety zone, meaning the no-shooting buffer around occupied structures is 50 yards rather than the general 150-yard safety zone that applies to most hunting with firearms and other deadly weapons.
In practical terms, the bill amends Maryland’s Natural Resources hunting laws to create a new Sunday archery deer hunting opportunity in Prince George’s County and to align the county with other jurisdictions that already have the smaller archery safety zone. It also updates a cross-reference in the regulated shooting ground permit statute so that Sunday hunting authorization references the renumbered subsection. The bill is set to take effect July 1, 2025.
The bill would modify Sections 10-410 and 10-906 of the Natural Resources Article. It expands Sunday deer bow hunting authorization to Prince George’s County and extends the archery safety-zone exception to that county, affecting hunters, landowners, and nearby residents by changing when and where archery hunting may occur closer to occupied structures. It also makes a conforming reference change for regulated shooting ground permits.
The available record does not include committee testimony or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from the legislative process. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be a targeted wildlife-management and hunting-access bill rather than a broad policy change. The overall tone of the legislation is administrative and permissive, aimed at standardizing hunting rules for Prince George’s County with those in other counties that already allow similar Sunday deer bow hunting.
The main likely point of contention is the expansion of Sunday hunting in Prince George’s County, which may draw differing views from hunters, property owners, animal-welfare advocates, and residents concerned about noise, safety, or use of land near homes and churches. The reduced 50-yard archery safety zone may also be controversial because it allows hunting closer to occupied structures than the general 150-yard rule. Supporters would likely emphasize expanded hunting opportunity and deer management, while opponents may focus on safety and quality-of-life concerns.