Waterfowl changes SB 327

[Archeryrob]

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/bills/sb/sb0327F.pdf

Highlights of the bill are:
MD duck stamp increase of $9 - $15
Hunting license increases across the board (first increase in many years) $24.50 - $35
Create a Wildlife Conservation, Education, and Outreach Program
Allow Sunday hunting for migratory birds statewide
Use of Heritage Conservation Fund for purchase of hunting lands

It seems there is broad support for this, except the guide association is against it, of course. Delta is supporting it and heard DU was, but have not seen the release on it.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Not in favor and who the F%c is Delta and what do they have to do with Sika deer hunting?
Sounds like they want to liberalize some of our unique/tidal and wetlands for the urban kids and city people at the expense of the land owners.
All these people coming around here are degrading hunting in tidal and wetland forest hunting areas not helping it.

 

[fabsroman]

Here is 5-1502 as it stands now. Looks like this bill would add hunting as one of the possible uses.

§5–1502.

The purposes of the Heritage Conservation Fund are for the State to acquire conservation easements or a fee simple or other interests in:

(1) Forestlands;

(2) Unique ecological areas of the State;

(3) Any area characterized by significant natural scenic beauty;

(4) Tidal or nontidal wetlands;

(5) Lands in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, as defined under § 8-1807 of this article;

(6) Any land designated as a unique ecological area under the Natural Heritage Program in the Department;

(7) Any wilderness area that remains relatively undisturbed by human encroachment;

(8) Lands supporting rare, threatened, or endangered plants or animals;

(9) Lands that support diverse ecological communities of plants or animals;

(10) Any land whose conversion to development would significantly affect water quality or unique natural habitat; and

(11) Natural areas that have been designated by the State or submitted by a county for designation as areas of critical State concern under § 5-611 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.

 

[fabsroman]

Fees are going up across the board and now it looks like there will be an added fee related to Sika deer hunting. Looks like there is going to be a stamp for Sika deer. All kinds of stamps nowadays. Bow, muzzleloader, bonus antlered deer, waterfowl, and now sika.

Junior licenses are also going up from $10.50 to $16 I believe. They just make it harder and harder to hunt and fish. More rules for hunting and fishing than there are for businesses. When I first got out of law school, I used to joke with people that the Corporations & Associations code book was a single volume, while the Natural Resources code book was two volumes. Just insane.

Not really sure how I feel about this bill. Was going to say I am in favor of the state buying land and making it available for hunting. However, then I thought about how I want to buy a farm and if the state is buying land it might drive up the price of farms. So, I am completely on the fence on this one.

 

[Cochise]

if we have Sunday hunting, we will also have shorter seasons...and eventually smaller bag limits as it will increase pressure a great deal.
I am very much in favor of more public land and public access, and the license fees are a joke they are so low.

 

[Archeryrob]

Well lots of Democrats are supporting this bill already, which is unusual. They are focused on the conservation and raising fees to help the DNR. Republican's will probably fall in behind and push it through as it is a conservation bill mostly. I really don't see there being a ground swell against this bill and the only big group against this bill is the guides association that I have noticed so far.

 

[Bisleyfan44]

I don't like that the funds will be used to buy land.....then to be owned by the state. More land that they get to tell us what to do or not do with. There's already plenty of public land available to us hunters that goes pretty much unused, especially with the recent acquisitions from Cheasapeake Forest land.

Don't really care to help the state buy land with my money, that they then get to tell me what I can't do on it.

 

[DaveP]

I don't like that the funds will be used to buy land.....then to be owned by the state. More land that they get to tell us what to do or not do with. There's already plenty of public land available to us hunters that goes pretty much unused, especially with the recent acquisitions from Cheasapeake Forest land.

Don't really care to help the state buy land with my money, that they then get to tell me what I can't do on it.

When the CFL deal was first done, I seem to recall that existing leases would be honored, and then once the term of said lease ended, would be open to public.

Yet annual bidding on leases continues.
I know that some of the parcels are small, limited access, etc, but others aren't.

Seems hunters and anglers are still footing the bill for freeloading hikers, equestrians, bird watchers, leaf peepers, etc.

Why is the PR or DJ equivalent tax on THEIR equipment???


And with the way the Dept and its leadership is trending, bet we'll be locked out of many of the lands WE are paying for...

 

[DaveP]

Fees are going up across the board and now it looks like there will be an added fee related to Sika deer hunting. Looks like there is going to be a stamp for Sika deer. All kinds of stamps nowadays. Bow, muzzleloader, bonus antlered deer, waterfowl, and now sika.

Junior licenses are also going up from $10.50 to $16 I believe. They just make it harder and harder to hunt and fish. More rules for hunting and fishing than there are for businesses. When I first got out of law school, I used to joke with people that the Corporations & Associations code book was a single volume, while the Natural Resources code book was two volumes. Just insane.

Not really sure how I feel about this bill. Was going to say I am in favor of the state buying land and making it available for hunting. However, then I thought about how I want to buy a farm and if the state is buying land it might drive up the price of farms. So, I am completely on the fence on this one.

Will there be a different fee structure for res/ non res sika permits?

Could NEVER understand WHY we don't charge non residents a higher fee for sika deer and crabbing.
PA Navy is out here in full force every summer, then they invade Dorchester every fall.

I hunt gators in SC.
Resident tag is $100.
Non resident is $300.

And I'm OK with that.

 

[Doco Overboard]

When I look closely at the language for species of plant aquatic etc it makes me think they're after prohibiting certain aspects of P/L ownership shore line use etc.
They want all the shoreline and all one would have to do is look at the districting to see how thats shaping up. Wicomico comes right to mind along the Nanticoke.
Then, there are the red striped trees that encompass many areas that are off limits for hunting except for the conservatory bunch and no one knows who they are.
The Kayak for me but not for thee crowd. One would also notice that very many old homesteads have been grabbed up with a ton of money dumped into them and then with 5 horses on one acre and what not often right next to tidal creeks.
Some time ago I went on about how the land grab was going on especially in regard to land owed next to CFLS.
Im not sure no one cared because I think theirs more conservative hunters that want to liberalize privately owned lands for their own recreation and then be all constitution somewhere else at the same time.

 

[Derwood]

Thank you for keeping us informed. I don't fully understand the land use part, but ending the Sunday hunting ban would be a massive improvement. Maryland is almost alone in having this ban. A minor increase in fees is fine. I hunt/fish in several other states and they've all been increasing fees.

 

[StantonCree]

Not in favor and who the F%c is Delta and what do they have to do with Sika deer hunting?
Sounds like they want to liberalize some of our unique/tidal and wetlands for the urban kids and city people at the expense of the land owners.
All these people coming around here are degrading hunting in tidal and wetland forest hunting areas not helping it.

I actually don’t Sika hunt but i know ever ES hunter hates Rinella and pretty much ever hunter from PA.

 

[trailman]

if we have Sunday hunting, we will also have shorter seasons...and eventually smaller bag limits as it will increase pressure a great deal.
I am very much in favor of more public land and public access, and the license fees are a joke they are so low.

Skimming his bill I'm not sure where the Sunday hunting part is for waterfowl however its a bad idea. The feds set the season length and with adding sunday in our mix there are less days to spread out the spilts.

 

[Archeryrob]

I was told PG and Wicomico plan to submit a tag to the bill to recluse their counties from Sunday hunting. Not sure if that kills the entire Sunday hunting for waterfowl in the Feds eyes or those counties just loose the Sunday days all together if the rest of the state uses them.

 

[Archeryrob]

I was told they removed Sunday hunting from this bill now.

 

[lazarus]

Wait a second. Reading this bill license and stamp exemptions are mentioned only for the owner, spouse and children of the owner of farmland on that farmland. I thought DNR regs state if you are a resident property owner on your property. But the language isn’t bolded in the bill.

Has it been only farm owners all along and DNR has the regs written wrong? Or have I misread things wrong for years? Doesn’t matter too much as I’ve bought a license every year despite the fact I’ve hunted on my own property exclusively this past hear.

I double checked and DNR says
“

• A resident of Maryland (and their spouse) who owns property and who hunts only on that property. This also applies to: (1) the landowner’s children and grandchildren if they are under the age of 16; and (2) the landowner’s children and grandchildren, and the spouse of the children or grandchildren, regardless of age, if the child, grandchild, or their spouse, lives on the property, has worked on the property for at least 30 days during the preceding 12 months, or manages the property. Each person must individually qualify under these criteria. To qualify for this exemption, a landowner does not need to live on the property but must be able to prove ownership.”

Is it that the landowner exemption in a different section of law? Because this bill only refers to farmland owners and lease holders and their immediate relatives or those in the armed forces hunting on farmland.