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Maryland

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Maryland County Finder

Answer six questions and get Maryland counties ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and Maryland DNR harvest history.

How the Maryland finder works

Maryland DNR reports every deer, turkey and bear by county. This tool scores all 23 counties using the Annual Big Game Reports: deer by county for 2022–23 to 2025–26 with white-tailed and sika deer kept separate, spring turkey for 2022–2026 and bear for 2022–2025, plus USGS land-cover and elevation data and the share of public land such as wildlife management areas and state forests.

Season fit uses the 2026–27 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping: Region A and B deer seasons, sika deer seasons, junior and primitive hunt days, spring, fall and winter turkey, the Oct. 26–31 bear season, upland birds and migratory birds.

Species covered

  • White-tailed deer
  • Sika deer
  • Black bear
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Forest grouse
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • American woodcock

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Maryland hunting FAQ

Where are sika deer in Maryland?

On the lower Eastern Shore. Dorchester County (Blackwater and Fishing Bay) takes most of the sika harvest, about 3,700 a year, followed by Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset counties. A Sika Deer Stamp is required.

Which Maryland counties have the most deer?

Frederick, Carroll, Garrett and Baltimore counties lead the white-tailed deer harvest; Dorchester County leads when sika are counted too. Maryland hunters took 71,656 deer in 2025–26.

When is Maryland's 2026 bear season?

Oct. 26–31, 2026, in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties, by lottery permit. Garrett County takes most of the harvest.

Maryland harvest leaders

The counties with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

White-tailed deer (2022–2025 average)

  1. Frederick County: 6,674 per year
  2. Carroll County: 5,693 per year
  3. Garrett County: 5,214 per year
  4. Baltimore County: 4,854 per year
  5. Washington County: 4,661 per year

Sika deer (2022–2025 average)

  1. Dorchester County: 3,740 per year
  2. Wicomico County: 345 per year
  3. Worcester County: 110 per year
  4. Somerset County: 36 per year
  5. Caroline County: 2 per year

Black bear (2022–2025 average)

  1. Garrett County: 72 per year
  2. Allegany County: 16 per year
  3. Washington County: 10 per year
  4. Frederick County: 7 per year

Wild turkey (2022–2026 average)

  1. Garrett County: 522 per year
  2. Charles County: 430 per year
  3. Washington County: 430 per year
  4. Worcester County: 383 per year
  5. Allegany County: 359 per year

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Dorchester County: 23,020 per year
  2. Talbot County: 13,228 per year
  3. Kent County: 11,832 per year
  4. Worcester County: 11,393 per year
  5. Queen Anne's County: 7,678 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Kent County: 43,915 per year
  2. Queen Anne's County: 25,593 per year
  3. Talbot County: 18,205 per year
  4. Cecil County: 13,918 per year
  5. Dorchester County: 13,879 per year