Three-day hunt offers final opportunity to bag deer in the 2025-26 Season
Photo by Randall Gornowich submitted to the 2022 Maryland DNR Photo Contest
Maryland 2026 - Maryland’s annual Primitive Deer Hunt will be open Feb. 2-4 statewide. Hunters with a valid hunting license, or those exempt from the hunting license requirement, may use primitive bows or muzzleloaders to hunt antlered and antlerless sika and white-tailed deer during these three days.
Primitive hunting devices are defined as long bows, recurve bows, flintlock, or sidelock percussion muzzleloaders. Hunters may not use compound bows, crossbows, drawlocks, and telescopic or other electronic aiming devices. However, fiber optic sights are permitted on otherwise legal primitive bows or muzzleloaders.
“The final opportunity of the 2025-2026 Maryland deer hunting season provides hunters a chance to pursue deer much like our ancestors did,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer said. “The Primitive Deer Hunt challenges hunters to use traditional archery and muzzleloader equipment to harvest a deer during some of the coldest days Maryland has to offer.”
Hunters that participate in the Primitive Deer Hunt Days must possess a valid hunting license and an Archery or Muzzleloader Stamp unless they are exempt from the hunting license requirement. If hunters intend to pursue sika deer, they must also purchase a sika hunting stamp.
Hunting licenses, as well as sika stamps, archery stamps, and muzzleloader stamps, may be purchased online through the MD Outdoors licensing website, at a licensing agent, or by calling DNR Licensing and Registration services at 866-344-8889. DNR encourages hunters to consult the 2025-2026 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping for information on licensing, bag limits, registration procedures, and other regulations.
Any deer harvested during the Primitive Deer Hunt Days count against the hunter’s 2025-26 archery or muzzleloader bag limit for antlered and antlerless deer. An exception is in Region A – Allegany County, Garrett County, and the western portion of Washington County – where hunters may harvest one antlerless deer that will not count against their existing archery or muzzleloader bag limits.
During the Primitive Deer Hunt days, Maryland requires deer hunters and their companions to wear daylight fluorescent orange or daylight fluorescent pink in one of the following manners: a cap of solid fluorescent daylight orange or pink, a vest or jacket containing back and front panels of at least 250 square inches of fluorescent daylight orange or pink, or an outer garment of camouflage daylight fluorescent orange or pink worn above the waist and containing at least 50 percent daylight fluorescent color.
Hunters should carefully inspect all tree stands and always wear a full-body safety harness while in the stand and while climbing in or out. The department strongly recommends using a sliding knot, commonly known as a prusik knot, attached to a line that is secured above the stand that allows the hunter to be safely tethered to the tree as soon as they leave the ground.
Hunters are encouraged to help others by donating deer taken in Maryland. A state tax credit offers hunters an incentive for donated deer. Other local or state programs are also available; hunters should check with their deer processors.
