New DNR Free Permit Requirements

[Harrys]

This year the Central and Southern Region Permits have merged into the Public Hunting Permit. Hunters will no longer receive a separate hunting permit as it displays on your hunting license. Within 24 hours of applying for the permit you will be emailed the regulations packet and parking permit.

The other thing do not try to cheat by just filling in your DNRid number. You have to purchase it on line (free) and it shows up on your hunting license. You will loose hunting privileges if you use a permit that is no been recorded on your license.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Translation ?

 

[Inigoes]

Translation ?

If you want to hunt state parks or wildlife management areas (the list is in the PDF)

Fill out the form after you buy your hunting license.

 

[AlBeight]

This year the Central and Southern Region Permits have merged into the Public Hunting Permit. Hunters will no longer receive a separate hunting permit as it displays on your hunting license. Within 24 hours of applying for the permit you will be emailed the regulations packet and parking permit.

The other thing do not try to cheat by just filling in your DNRid number. You have to purchase it on line (free) and it shows up on your hunting license. You will loose hunting privileges if you use a permit that is no been recorded on your license.

DNR did a really poor job of explaining this process on the DNR site, they refer you to go back to the COMPASS portal but don’t instruct you what to do once you get there. When I first went to “purchase a license” menu, the “free public hunting permit” was not listed to select, neither was the individual furbearer permit or the Light Goose Conservation Permit. It was only after purchasing my license then waiting the 24 hrs and following the instructions to go back to “purchase a license” again, did the “free public hunting permit” with a cost of $0.00 even show up to be selectable. Additionally, I buy the “individual furbearer permit” every year (in case I shoot a fox or coyote), but this year it also wasn’t selectable until this second go ‘round with the “purchase a license” menu. I’m 100% certain it was not on the first menu run-thru.

My poor father is not very internet savvy, in fact he is quite opposed to doing things like this online. He buys his license and stamps at Walmart. One question; how is he going to get his “free public hunting permit” if they have it setup on the website to only work on the website the second time you visit/login, when he didn’t get his license online in the first place? DNR office at Gwynnbrook is closed due to COVID still, so you can’t go anywhere in person to get help with these issues. DNR really screwed the pooch this year, it seems.

BTW, if anyone went back thru the process and clicked on just the “free public hunting permit” for $0.00, how did you go thru the checkout process, did you have to pay with your credit card for a $0.00 charge? I added my $5.00 “individual furbearer permit” on mine, so I did have to pay upon checkout. Just curious, as I’m gonna have to walk my Dad thru this, and I don’t need anymore DNR created stumbling blocks.

 

[Antarctica]

Yeah - I got mine the other day. It was confusing the first time, but it worked.

 

[AlBeight]

Yeah - I got mine the other day. It was confusing the first time, but it worked.

Out of curiosity how did it go when you checked out of your shopping cart with a $0.00 cost item? Or, did you do like I did and add more positive cost items to your cart that weren’t available to add the first time thru the item list, resulting in a normal credit card transaction?

 

[DeerbybowDena]

Dont forget, you still have to buy the managed hunt permit at $35 to hunt many of the properties. Im not 100% but you can add it and reprint your license after it goes through your cart purchase. That way its on printed as well as electronic. First noticed it begin of July on the application pages for each permit. Wish they would open up more phone lines to make attaining reservations easier. Gun season, seems like 100 redials to get on land...lol

 

[Harrys]

BTW, if anyone went back thru the process and clicked on just the “free public hunting permit” for $0.00, how did you go thru the checkout process, did you have to pay with your credit card for a $0.00 charge? I added my $5.00 “individual furbearer permit” on mine, so I did have to pay upon checkout. Just curious, as I’m gonna have to walk my Dad thru this, and I don’t need anymore DNR created stumbling blocks.

No credit card charge you just put in your info and it shows up on your license as free

 

[Pale Ryder]

I don’t hunt places that this is required yet, but what is the benefit? Seems like a way to drive hunters away. Public land should be open to public without a bunch of hoops attached.

 

[AlBeight]

Dont forget, you still have to buy the managed hunt permit at $35 to hunt many of the properties. Im not 100% but you can add it and reprint your license after it goes through your cart purchase. That way its on printed as well as electronic. First noticed it begin of July on the application pages for each permit. Wish they would open up more phone lines to make attaining reservations easier. Gun season, seems like 100 redials to get on land...lol

Even tougher now that walk-ins to Gwynnbrook are shut down due to WuFlu. I usually had my Father get our reservations first thing in the morning at the DNR office. I’ve done the “redial” every 3 or 4 seconds from 0730 until 1100, and not gotten thru, several times over the years. That is frustrating. An online system would be nice, even if you didn’t get a spot, but sitting on the phone getting the busy signal for 4-1/2 hrs non-stop, a couple days per week sux bad. However, it may be better this year since they aren’t accepting walk-in customers this year. The agent won’t have to stop taking calls every few minutes to deal with an in-person customer, more time to answer the phone. That has to be a job that zero people want to do.

 

[Biggfoot44]

When did this c@@@ start ? i admit I went for a piece not hunting * in Maryland * off my own property , but I actually bought one last year , and it didn't come up .

So is this also SF and NMRA ?

So how does lack of this " permit " compare to simply lack of license ?

And how can you " purchase " something free ? Request/ recieve/ possess / etc maybe , but you can't Purchase something free .

 

[AlBeight]

When did this c@@@ start ? i admit I went for a piece not hunting * in Maryland * off my own property , but I actually bought one last year , and it didn't come up .

So is this also SF and NMRA ?

So how does lack of this " permit " compare to simply lack of license ?

And how can you " purchase " something free ? Request/ recieve/ possess / etc maybe , but you can't Purchase something free .

This permit has been around over 10+ years, it’s just distributed differently this year, and it’s done thru the DNR COMPASS portal but is far, far from intuitive how it’s now done on the website. You simply have to have the corresponding permit, Central Region (handled by the Gwynnbrook office) or the Southern Region (out of Myrtle Grove office), depending on which WMA, State Park, NRMA, etc... Some of them have sign-in sheets only (which are problematic at best - I’ve seen many a fistfight at 0400 due to douchebag liars and cheaters being confronted to their faces by the honest hunters). Most areas went to call-in reservations, which calmed down most of the drama but have been very hard to get reservations the last few years due to popularity. The call in system is difficult to deal with as you start calling at 0730, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten thru until after 0930 at the best, redial after redial. Some days I even never got thru, and didn’t hunt that weekend .

 

[Biggfoot44]

State Forests too ?

 

[Pale Ryder]

Not all state parks or state forests, but deciphering where or where not is not that clear. Some are for duck/geese, some deer, some turkey. Seems best info is on pages 60-63 of the hunting guide.

 

[Biggfoot44]

So why buy a hunting license that isn't good to actually go hunting ?

 

[Pale Ryder]

Found this too, hope it clears some issues. My thoughts too Bigfoot.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Documents/MPS_HuntingProgram.pdf

 

[Biggfoot44]

So the linked PDF is just State Parks ? Are there more lists , or is this one the totality ?

 

[AlBeight]

So the linked PDF is just State Parks ? Are there more lists , or is this one the totality ?

https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/allbyregion.aspx

Here is the page you need, to find out what parks or lands by area or region. Funny how two Garrett County lands ended up at the end of the Southern Region list??

Some SF like Savage River are exempt, and you just show up and hunt. There aren’t too many like that though, in Central or Southern Maryland, or the Eastern Shore.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Ok , the link in post #18 is different from post #16 .

Do they mean the same things ? Are both a list of presumptive no hunt , or is post #18 link a master list , and not necessarily restricted ?

 

[AlBeight]

Ok , the link in post #18 is different from post #16 .

Do they mean the same things ? Are both a list of presumptive no hunt , or is post #18 link a master list , and not necessarily restricted ?

The linked pdf in post 16 is only State Parks, that is only a very small part of the overall accessible public lands. Go the the link I posted in #18, it is every public land, grouped by region, giving a full web page of that area, with its regulations, directions, maps, and instructions on how to gain access to hunt. The problem is the way in which you procure the necessary permits and such to be able to hunt on these properties. The process changed this year slightly and it’s not in the least intuitive, and the instructions are poor. It took a stubborn sumbich like me to get thru it successfully. My buddy I do most of my hunting with other than my Dad hunts these lands more than I do, and he was pretty pissed off as well with the process this year. In fact he called me the other night to warn me and help me get thru it, but I had literally just completed the process, with much swearing and disdain.