Approximately 75,000 firearm deer hunters take to the forests and fields in pursuit of white-tailed deer, and about 8,000 firearm hunters track the wetland dwelling sika deer. This was a record year with 20,147 antlered deer and 22,190 antlerless deer taken. Firearm deer hunters take 57 percent of the deer taken in all of Maryland's deer hunting seasons. Firearm deer hunters spend 410,500 days hunting white-tailed deer and 34,400 days stalking sika deer.
Deer hunters manage deer populations by taking antlerless deer.
The removal of female deer through regulated hunting reduces the number available to reproduce. A deer population comparison of hunted to non-hunted sections of DNR public lands within Montgomery County found five times fewer deer within the hunted section. Independent deer bag limits have been established for each region. In Region A firearm deer hunters may take one deer. This deer must be antlered if taken from Nov. 25 through Dec. 7.