Maryland Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Maryland hunting license costs $35 for a resident adult and $160 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
A Maryland hunting license is cheap by East Coast standards for residents, but the base fee is only the entry ticket: the state layers separate stamps on top for deer, Sika deer, and hunting method, so the real cost depends on what you're actually chasing this season.
Base license covers small game and furbearers. Deer hunting needs a Bonus Antlered Deer Stamp ($10) plus a method stamp for archery ($6 resident/$25 non-resident) or muzzleloader ($6/$25); Sika deer needs a separate $10/$25 stamp, and migratory game birds need a $9 stamp. Seniors 65+ pay just $5. A person under 18, and anyone who cannot show a license held before July 1, 1977, must complete Maryland hunter safety certification before a license will be issued.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Maryland hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Maryland hunting license costs
Maryland residents pay $35 for the annual hunting license (ages 16-64); non-residents pay $160. Seniors 65 and older pay just $5. That base fee covers small game and furbearers, but deer hunters need to add a method stamp, archery or muzzleloader, at $6 resident/$25 non-resident, plus a $10 Bonus Antlered Deer Stamp for an additional buck tag. Sika deer, found on the Eastern Shore, needs its own $10 resident/$25 non-resident stamp, and migratory bird hunters need a $9 stamp on top of everything else.
Who needs a license, and hunter safety rules
Anyone hunting in Maryland needs a license unless exempted, and a person under 18 must complete a certificate of competency in firearms and hunter safety before one will be issued. Anyone who cannot show a hunting license held before July 1, 1977, or an affidavit of having hunted before that date, must also complete hunter education regardless of age. Maryland offers a fully in-person course for anyone under 13 and a hybrid online course with a mandatory one-day field workshop for those 13 and up.
License year and deadlines
Maryland's hunting license year runs August 1 through July 31, lining up with the start of early bow season for deer in early September rather than the calendar year. Buying early in August covers the full fall and winter season without needing a mid-season renewal.
How to buy your Maryland hunting license
Maryland DNR's licensing portal handles the base license, stamps and permits in one online checkout, and licenses are also sold at sporting goods stores and DNR service centers around the state.
Hunting in Maryland: what to expect
Western Maryland, Garrett and Allegany counties, holds the state's best public-land deer and turkey hunting across Savage River State Forest and Green Ridge State Forest, both large enough for a multi-day hunt without crossing onto private land every few hundred yards. The Eastern Shore is Maryland's other major hunting region, known for Sika deer in the marshes around Blackwater and Fishing Bay, plus some of the best Atlantic Flyway waterfowl hunting on the East Coast as Canada geese and puddle ducks stage on the Chesapeake's tributaries each fall.
Public land and waterfowl access
Maryland's public hunting land is concentrated in its state forests and a network of Wildlife Management Areas, with Green Ridge alone covering over 50,000 acres in the Alleghenies. Waterfowl hunters on the Chesapeake need to research specific WMA regulations and blind-drawing systems well before the season, since the best marsh blinds on public land are competitive and often assigned by lottery rather than first-come access.
How to renew a Maryland hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Maryland. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs Aug 1 through July 31.
The fastest route is the official Maryland online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Maryland fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.