Maryland hunting license

How much is a Maryland hunting license?

A regular Maryland hunting license costs $35.00 for residents ages 16 to 64 and $160.00 for nonresidents of the same ages, as listed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the current license year. That base license is the Full Season Hunting License, Regular, and it is the one most adult hunters start with.

The base price is rarely the whole bill. Maryland sells add-on stamps for certain seasons and species: residents pay $6 each for the deer archery and muzzleloader stamps, $10 for a Bonus Antlered Deer stamp, $10 for a Sika Deer stamp and $15 for the Maryland Migratory Game Bird stamp if you hunt waterfowl or doves. Nonresident stamps cost more, as the table shows.

Juniors under 16, seniors 65 and older, apprentices and some veterans pay less or nothing. The table below lists those rates, and the sections further down explain who qualifies. Check the current fee list on the Maryland DNR hunting license page before you buy, since prices can change from one license year to the next.

Do you need hunter education for a Maryland hunting license?

Yes, if this is your first Maryland hunting license, you need a hunter education Certificate of Competency, no matter when you were born. Unlike many states, Maryland has no birth-date cutoff. The only exception is for hunters who held a license, or hunted legally without needing one, before July 1, 1977.

There is no minimum age to take the course. Students 13 and older can use the hybrid format: an online course followed by a required, free in-person Field Day. A free classroom course is also offered if you prefer to learn in person from start to finish. Find course listings on the Maryland DNR hunter education page.

Not ready for the full course? The Apprentice License lets new hunters try it first. You complete a short online course instead of full hunter education, then hunt right beside a mentor who is a Maryland resident, 18 or older, holding a regular license. It costs $15 for residents and $40 for nonresidents. Adults can buy it once; juniors can buy it more than once, so check the DNR page for the current age limit.

Where to buy a hunting license in Maryland

You can buy a Maryland hunting license online through MD OUTDOORS, in person at a DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center, or from a Sport License Agent.

Waterfowl hunters have one extra stop: the federal duck stamp is not sold by Maryland. Buy it at a post office or through the federal duck stamp website, along with your state Migratory Game Bird stamp.

Before you check out, think through your whole season. A bowhunter who also carries a muzzleloader later in the year needs both season stamps, and a waterfowler needs the state bird stamp plus the federal stamp. Adding everything in one purchase saves a second trip or login.

1. Finish hunter education (online course plus Field Day, or a classroom course), or choose the Apprentice License if you will hunt with a qualified mentor.
2. Create or sign in to your account on MD OUTDOORS, or visit a DNR service center or Sport License Agent.
3. Pick the resident or nonresident Full Season license (or the junior, senior or apprentice version) and add any stamps you need for archery, muzzleloader, sika or migratory birds.
4. Pay, then carry your license and your Big Game Harvest Record whenever you hunt.

Buy a Maryland hunting license on the official site

Do you need separate deer or turkey tags in Maryland?

No, Maryland does not sell separate deer or turkey tags. A free Big Game Harvest Record comes with your license, and you record your deer and turkey on it. Field tags are no longer printed in the hunting guide.

Keep the Harvest Record with you in the field and fill it in as soon as you take an animal, before you move it. Writing it down right away keeps your season count accurate and makes the check-in step quick.

Every deer and turkey must be checked in within 24 hours. You can do that online, in the MD Outdoors app, or by phone at (888) 800-0121. Stamps still matter for deer: archery and muzzleloader hunters need the matching season stamp, and the Bonus Antlered Deer and Sika Deer stamps add to what you can take.

Black bear is the exception. Bear hunting is by lottery permit only. For 2026, applications ran July 15 to August 31 with a $15 nonrefundable fee and one entry per person, the drawing was held September 3, and the season runs October 26 to 31. Dates for 2027 have not been published, so watch the official Maryland bear hunting regulations next summer.

What are the youth hunting license rules in Maryland?

Hunters under 16 buy a Junior license, which is $15 for residents and $80 for nonresidents and needs a parent or guardian's permission. Maryland sets no minimum hunting age, so families decide when a young hunter is ready.

There is a strong reward for finishing hunter education early. A Maryland resident under 16 who passes the course can get a one-time free annual license, plus free archery, muzzleloader and sika stamps. Stamps for migratory birds and bonus deer are still extra.

Juniors who are not yet certified can use the Apprentice License with a qualified mentor instead. Children and grandchildren under 16 of resident landowners may also hunt the family's land without a license, as described in the rules section below.

Parents should still budget for the stamps a young hunter will need, and keep the Junior license and hunter education certificate together so both are easy to show if an officer asks.

How much is a Maryland hunting license for nonresidents?

A nonresident Maryland hunting license costs $160.00 for the regular full season license for ages 16 to 64. Nonresident stamps cost more than resident ones: $25 each for archery, muzzleloader and bonus antlered deer, and $200 for sika deer.

As in most states, nonresidents pay several times what residents do, so it pays to price out the whole trip, license plus stamps, before you commit to a hunt here.

If you only want a short trip for ducks, geese or small game, look at the Nonresident 3-Day Waterfowl and Small Game License for $65. It covers three consecutive legal hunting days, and you do not need hunter education to buy it. Maryland lists no short-term license for residents.

Nonresident seniors 65 and older pay $65 for the full season license, and nonresident juniors pay $80. Planning a hunt across the line? Compare costs with the Pennsylvania hunting license and Virginia hunting license guides, or browse every state in our hunting license by state guide.

What other Maryland hunting license rules should you know?

Your license is valid from the day it is issued through the next July 31, and licenses for the new year go on sale July 1. Buy in July and you get a full season; buy in spring and your license still ends on July 31.

Seniors 65 and older pay $5 as residents. Maryland-resident former POWs, 100% service-connected disabled veterans and VA-unemployable veterans can get a free lifetime license, and Purple Heart recipients get 50% off. The old Senior Lifetime Consolidated License is no longer sold, though current holders keep it. See the full list in the Maryland licenses, stamps and permits regulations.

• Fluorescent orange or pink: hunters and their helpers must wear a solid fluorescent cap, a vest with at least 250 square inches, or camo that is at least 50% fluorescent. Deer archery (outside gun deer seasons), falconry, waterfowl, dove, turkey and furbearer hunting are exempt.
• Landowners: resident landowners and spouses hunting only their own land need no license, and this extends to their children and grandchildren under 16, some resident family members and resident farm tenants. They still need a free DNRid, must check in deer and turkey, and must meet the hunter education rule.
• Disability access: a free Universal Disability Pass lets mobility-impaired hunters hunt from a vehicle in designated areas.
• Check-in: report every deer and turkey within 24 hours online, in the app or by phone.