Autum winds bring whistling wings and whispers of what’s waiting for us in Annapolis come January 2024. Know this to be true Maryland’s hunting community: the HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC are ever-present in Annapolis and ready to safeguard our iconic legacy against those who’d just as soon see it end…a legacy underscored by the historic enactment of the RIGHT TO HUNT & FISH ACT OF 2022.
BANNING LEAD AMMO: There are not- so- subtle talks in Annapolis about banning lead ammo for hunting purposes. No need to point fingers; but the talk is serious. When asked our opinion by the lawmakers involved in these talks, we make our opposition crystal clear. To strengthen our case and resolve, we turned to our friends at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation for advice. Here is what they said and what we conveyed:
1. Any ban on the use of lead ammunition will likely have a significant negative economic impact on DNR’s revenue, and the state’s economy.
2. Nontraditional ammunition is also significantly more expensive than lead shot and is not as readily available for purchase as traditional ammunition and is not readily available in all hunting calibers. This bill would serve to reduce hunting participation, which would thus threaten the conservation funding system that supports the DNR.
3. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study of hunters and others that have consumed game, allegedly containing lead shot fragments, to determine whether they have an elevated level of lead in the blood that can be attributed to the ammunition used to harvest the game. Indications of the CDC study released by the North Dakota Department of Health (DOH), show none of those tested had unsafe blood lead levels. The readings were far below the level considered elevated for a child (10 micrograms er deciliter); let alone the level for an adult (25 micrograms per deciliter). North Dakota Lead Exposure Study
4. Fish and wildlife agencies in Arizona, Oregon, and Utah have adopted voluntary programs which provide hunters with incentives to utilize non-lead ammunition or carry entrails from harvested animals out of the field in certain areas. These programs have proven to successfully meet management objectives and reduce the amount of lead exposure to specific species. With the success of these voluntary programs being well-documented, a statutory ban is not necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
5. We encourage legislators to work with their respective fish and wildlife agencies to address any lead-related concerns through incentive-based programs that encourage the transition to non-lead products if valid scientific justification is found. Furthermore, any regulatory language should clearly specify that if it is scientifically determined that lead-based ammunition is having a negative population level impact on species, either locally or regionally, only reasonable regulations to that area, or for that species will be implemented.
The HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC will work to prevent the introduction of a lead ammo ban during the 2024 Session of the Maryland General Assembly. If introduced, we will lead efforts to defeat it.
END OF THE MARYLAND DUCK STAMP PROGRAM: Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced the end of the State’s 50-Year Duck Stamp Contest.
https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2023/11/14/maryland-dnr-announces-2024-2025-migratory-game-
bird-stamp-design-contest-winner/
Not so fast DNR, says the HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC…let’s talk this through to see if there’s an alternative way to keep this half-century Program alive. Maryland’s waterfowl community, et al, are denouncing this decision by DNR.
MANAGING MARYLAND’S DEER POPULATION: Legislation enacted by the 2023 Maryland General Assembly – Chapter 544 of the Acts of 2023 – requires, among other things, DNR to work with the Maryland Department of Agriculture “to develop a plan to address the overpopulation of deer in the State…on or before December 1, 2023.”
The HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC has been asked to help in view of the clear nexus between the farming and hunting community. Wading into these turbulent waters is not for the faint of heart, but the HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC deal with such issues all the time. Of course, we agreed.
Subsequently, we submitted a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION so we’d have the FACTS at hand when meeting with members of both communities. We are not in agreement Maryland has an overpopulation of deer; but there are certain pockets within the State where the existing deer population is reducing crop yields to the economic detriment of farmers. Is there a middle ground, one that can be amicably and mutually agreed upon by the farming and hunting community?
We shall see.
YOUTH DEER HUNT IN CHARLES COUNTY: The weekend of November 11-12, 2023, witnessed one of the largest participatory junior hunts we have ever witnessed…as evidenced by the group picture herein. Each youngster was accompanied by a supervisory adult guide. Many deer were taken that weekend. Just ask 11-year-old Owen Holcomb and his older 16-year-old sister Megan Holcomb about their top tier trophies!
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, we want to reassure Maryland’s hunting community the HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC will continue to do its best in defending the hunting legacy in ways consistent with and responsive to THE RIGHT TO FISH AND HUNT ACT OF 2022.
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/chapters_noln/Ch_295_hb1134T.pdf
