Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Wildlife & Heritage Service

Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Wildlife & Heritage Service Our mission is to conserve Maryland’s diverse native wildlife and plant population.

Today is opening day for deer archery statewide! If you are out or plan to get afield, make sure you have your Maryland ...
09/11/2026

Today is opening day for deer archery statewide! If you are out or plan to get afield, make sure you have your Maryland hunting license and archery stamp. If you plan to pursue sika, you'll need your sika stamp as well. For more information on seasons, regulations, Sunday hunting, bag limits and more check out https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting

If you're hunting from an elevated position, please make sure you've checked your equipment (climbers, platforms, saddles, etc.) and safety lines, as well as the integrity of existing stands and ladders. Always wear a safety harness and use a haul line to get your bow, etc. up to your position.

Best of luck! Stay safe and happy hunting!

Deer archery season begins statewide on Friday, September 11. Do you have your license and archery stamp? Are you ready ...
09/09/2026

Deer archery season begins statewide on Friday, September 11. Do you have your license and archery stamp? Are you ready for what happens after the shot?

You may have noticed there are no longer field tags in the Hunting and Trapping Guide that comes with your license when you purchase it at a license vendor. But don’t panic, there are multiple alternatives available.

Checking in your deer is still required and can be done from the convenience of your phone via the MD Outdoors app. If you do the check-in at the place of kill and receive a confirmation number, a field tag is not required unless you leave the carcass with someone else or unattended. If you can’t check your deer at the place of kill, or you plan to leave it with a processor or elsewhere, then you must field tag it.

Field tags can either be homemade and include your Name, DNRid, Harvest Date, and County of Kill, or you can print a sheet of tags from your MD Outdoors customer homepage by accessing the link on the bottom left of the screen under Downloads.

Please remember you have 24 hours to complete the check-in by receiving your confirmation number.

Visit https://mdoutdoors.maryland.gov for everything you need to get ready for the season or https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/deer-turkey-tagging-checking for additional tagging information.

Good luck and here’s to a prosperous deer season!

There are fungus among us!It is Mushroom Month and we’d like to spotlight Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822-1903). This Maryl...
09/03/2026

There are fungus among us!

It is Mushroom Month and we’d like to spotlight Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822-1903). This Marylander was originally from Talbot County, but lived much of her life in Baltimore City. She is considered Maryland’s first mycologist, or mushroom scientist, though as a female she was not recognized as such in her lifetime.

Besides collecting and setting up a private library, without the funding her male counterparts enjoyed, according to the Maryland State Archives, “between 1868 and 1888, Banning created a remarkable and significant book of watercolor illustrations of mushrooms (including some species new to science), faithfully documenting the details of their physical appearance both in pictures and in words.” This manuscript lay collecting dust in a museum drawer in New York for over 80 years. It was finally unearthed in 1978, and its contents opened a small window into her hidden talents and a lifetime spent stubbornly, if anonymously, in the pursuit of science. Then, in 1988, one of the Department of Natural Resources' own ecologists, Arnold Norden, discovered a biography and the only known photograph of Banning in the files of the Natural History Society of Maryland.

Besides her scientific contributions, Mary Elizabeth Banning left modern naturalists with a wealth of wisdom through her writing, reminding us that mycology is “a land of delicate pencilings and glowing colors, where mystery sits enthroned and wise men [and women] become its worshipers."

For more about her life, visit the Maryland State Archives at: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshallfame/html/banning.html

To explore an archived exhibition of her work, visit the New York State Museum page at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110710024009/http:/www.nysm.nysed.gov/treasures/explore.cfm?coll=29&startRow=1&maxRows=12

For more info on Mushroom Month:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/membership-and-giving/donate-to-our-mission/gift-and-estate-planning/legacy-club/national-mushroom-month/

Credits: Banning’s portrait from the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, watercolors from Fungi of Maryland, held at the New York State Museum

It's time! Opening Day for the 2026-2027 Maryland hunting season kicks off on Sept. 1! There is still time to get your M...
08/31/2026

It's time! Opening Day for the 2026-2027 Maryland hunting season kicks off on Sept. 1! There is still time to get your Maryland hunting license on MD Outdoors (https://mdoutdoors.maryland.gov/login) and get afield for the opener.

The season kicks off with dove hunting and early resident Canada goose on the 1st. Squirrel season is right on it's heels on the 5th and deer archery begins the 11th, while the 17th marks opening day of September Teal season.

You can find seasons and bag limits, as well as general hunting regulations and everything else you need to start your season here, https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting

Are you ready?

Photo by Tyler Duncan

The 2026 black bear hunt lottery closes tonight! Entry is required to participate in the 2026 Maryland bear hunting seas...
08/31/2026

The 2026 black bear hunt lottery closes tonight! Entry is required to participate in the 2026 Maryland bear hunting season from October 26 – 31 in all of Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.

New for 2026, preference points will no longer expire if a hunter fails to enter the lottery or purchase a preference point in a given year. Hunters not selected in the primary lottery also may choose to enter a secondary lottery for a permit to hunt only in Frederick and Washington counties.

Lottery entries and preference points may be purchased through the MD Outdoors licensing website (https://mdoutdoors.maryland.gov/login), at a license agent (https://dnr.maryland.gov/pages/service_centers.aspx), or by calling 866-344-8889.

Photo by Mitch Adolf submitted to DNR Photo Contest

Would you like to learn to deer hunt under the watchful eye of an experienced mentor? Do you think a one-on-one mentorin...
08/29/2026

Would you like to learn to deer hunt under the watchful eye of an experienced mentor? Do you think a one-on-one mentoring/hunting experience may help you to build skills and confidence to take the next step in your hunting journey?

If so, the First Shot Mentored Hunt at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge/Dorchester County may be right for you. We will pair selected applicants with an experienced hunter that will help guide them through the process and culminate in a hunt.

Through a partnership between USFWS Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland State Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, we are able to provide new hunters with an effective program to get interested individuals afield.

For more information and to apply, visit https://forms.gle/ff8V6cTx3i1dg9wr7

Don't delay, applications close Sept. 9!!

Come one, come all! The Maryland State Fair in Timonium is back once again, beginning August 27, and this year our Wildl...
08/21/2026

Come one, come all! The Maryland State Fair in Timonium is back once again, beginning August 27, and this year our Wildlife and Heritage Service display is all about reflecting upon our Flora and Fauna and how they have changed over the last 250 years!

Come and learn more about which species have been here for centuries, which have become extinct, and which species have only been here in the last 250 years. Learn more about our Natural Areas, and score some native plant seeds! Grab this year's version of our highly sought after collectible two-sided Wildlife Trading Cards!

Our display is located in the Mosner-Miller building, and it is open until 8pm. We hope to see you there!

State Fair 2026 Dates: August 27 - 30 | September 3 - 7 | September 10-13

For more information:
https://marylandstatefair.com/

Over the past weekend, a group of experienced Hunter Education Instructors ran the first of a new and improved Bowhunter...
08/19/2026

Over the past weekend, a group of experienced Hunter Education Instructors ran the first of a new and improved Bowhunter Education Program at Delmarva Sportsman's Association. Thanks to the work from the bowhunter instructor team from Frederick County, the event was a success! Great things happen when instructors are given the opportunity to forward think and do what they do best!

Thirteen students earned their Maryland Bowhunter certification, which involved four hours of classroom instruction, successfully completing a 50-question exam, and two hours of outdoor activities covering shooting skills, blood trailing and elevated stand safety.

To sign up for the next Bowhunter Education class, which is the 22nd, or any of our other Advanced Hunter Education courses, visit https://www.register-ed.com/programs/maryland/91-maryland-specialty-hunter-education-courses

Top photo: L-R: John Gallo, Jake Bise, Dan Neuland, Rick Lushbaugh, Bob Eichler, John Long, Augie Gray, Mike Kalmar
Bottom photo: Students (and instructors) getting a lesson on treestand safety

Happy World Lizard Day!Have you seen any of Maryland’s lizards lately? Seven species of lizards can be found in Maryland...
08/14/2026

Happy World Lizard Day!

Have you seen any of Maryland’s lizards lately? Seven species of lizards can be found in Maryland– six of which are native and one of which is not. Common five-lined skinks are the most widespread of our lizard species and warmer weather means increased skink sightings! You can download our new posters in the link below!

Common five-lined skinks are variable in appearance, depending on age and s*x. Juveniles have a bright blue tail which helps to distract potential predators while adults lose their blue coloration for faded stripes down their backs. Adult males in breeding season get bright orange to red coloration on their heads.

Common five-lined skinks are often found in moist woods where there are a lot of logs, stumps, leaf litter, and rock piles. They also can be seen in backyards scurrying over pavement or along the sides of houses. Common five-lined skinks are active throughout the day and can be seen foraging for insects or basking in the sun.

Many people sometimes confuse salamanders and lizards. One of the best ways to learn how to tell them apart is to know that lizards, like other reptiles, have scales. Salamanders on the other hand have smooth, shiny, and moist skin. Salamanders, like most amphibians, need to keep their skin moist and can usually be found in places that are humid or in or near water. Reptiles are well adapted to dry conditions and can be found in a wide range of environments. Though they look similar in body shape , salamanders and lizards are not closely related.

You can learn more about all of the different types of Maryland Herps by checking out the following websites.

Maryland Herps posters:
https://dnr.maryland.gov/education/Pages/herps-posters.aspx

Discover Maryland's Herps (with one page guides included)
https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/herps/index.aspx

Looking to advance your outdoor skills? Both new and advanced hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are invited to attend one ...
08/13/2026

Looking to advance your outdoor skills? Both new and advanced hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are invited to attend one or all of our Advanced Hunter Education Courses.

We have two action packed weekends coming up with different subject matter courses on August 22 and August 29. These courses are designed to give participants the knowledge and skills to be more confident in their pursuit of advanced hunting and trapping techniques

Courses being offered are Bowhunter Education, Muzzle Loader Education and Trapper Education (required to trap furbearers in Maryland). They are being offered throughout the state and can be found here, https://www.register-ed.com/programs/maryland/91-maryland-specialty-hunter-education-courses

Address

580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, MD
21401

Telephone

+14102608540

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Wildlife & Heritage Service posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Maryland Department of Natural Resources- Wildlife & Heritage Service:

Shortcuts

Share

Category