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HB0892 amends Maryland’s Natural Resources law governing hunting bag limits for game birds and mammals, with a specific focus on Canada geese. During the migratory Canada goose hunting season, the bill requires the bag limit for all Canada geese in certain parts of the state to match the annual bag limit adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Atlantic population Canada geese. The bill also clarifies that the Department of Natural Resources continues to set and publish annual bag limits by regulation, while allowing those limits for certain migratory birds to conform to federal rules.
The bill preserves existing geographic exceptions in western Maryland, including Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties, and the portion of Carroll County west of Route 31 and Route 97. In those areas, the subsection tying state limits to federal migratory bird rules does not apply. The measure is temporary, taking effect July 1, 2025, and expiring automatically on June 30, 2030 unless reenacted.
HB0892 changes Maryland’s wildlife management framework by aligning state Canada goose harvest limits more closely with annual federal migratory bird regulations in specified areas. It amends Section 10-409 of the Natural Resources Article, affecting the Department of Natural Resources’ authority to establish hunting bag limits and requiring seasonal Canada goose limits to track the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Atlantic population limit. The bill primarily affects hunters, wildlife managers, and enforcement officials, while leaving certain western counties outside the new conformity requirement.
The available legislative record suggests the bill was broadly noncontroversial and likely supported as a technical wildlife-management adjustment. The House committee reported it favorably with amendments, and the Senate later passed it 42-0 with amendments, indicating strong bipartisan agreement. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, but the unanimous Senate vote points to general acceptance of the bill’s approach.
The main policy issue is the extent to which Maryland should conform state Canada goose bag limits to federal Atlantic population rules. Supporters likely view the bill as a practical way to keep hunting regulations aligned with federal migratory bird management and to simplify seasonal limits. Any potential concern would center on the geographic carve-outs for western Maryland counties and the portion of Carroll County, which preserve different treatment in those areas; however, the record provided does not show active opposition or detailed disagreement.